Custom 404 Page Not Found Error page for SharePoint 2013/2016 Site Collection

Requirement: Create a customized 404 page not found error page in SharePoint.

How to create a 404 Page for SharePoint Site?

If you are working with SharePoint, then you may have noticed that there is a standard 404 error page appears when someone tries to access a page on your site that doesn’t exist. In this post, we will show you how to set up your own custom 404 error page. This will allow you to provide your users with a more user-friendly experience when they encounter a broken link.

SharePoint 2013 is shipped with a default “Page not found” error page in the “Pages” library in publishing Sites (https://intranet.crescent.com/Pages/PageNotFoundError.aspx) which works automatically when a user hits a non-existent URL.
sharepoint custom 404 error page
We can either customize this page or create our own page and set it as a page not found error page. Here are the steps to create a custom 404 page not found error page:

  • Go to Site Contents, Pages Library and Create New Error Page
    sharepoint 404 page for site collection
  • Customize the error page with your own styles and images
    sharepoint custom page not found 404 error
  • Use PowerShell script to set the new page as default page not found error page.
$site = Get-SPSite "https://your-sharepoint-site-coll-url" 
$site.filenotfoundurl = "/Pages/PageNotFound.aspx" #Relative path

Using SharePoint Designer to set Custom Page not found error page:

You can also use SharePoint designer to set the custom page not found error page: Here is how:

  • Open your SharePoint 2013 Site in SharePoint Designer 2013
  • Select the Site object in the left side treeview, Click on Site Options button in the ribbon 
  • Assign the “vti_filenotfoundpage” property of the site to a Custom Error Page that you created.
    sharepoint 2013 replace page not found error page
  • Don’t forget to hit Save button to commit your changes.

The above is applicable for setting custom error page at the site collection level. If you want to apply it at the web application level, refer to my another article: Custom 404 Page Not Found Error Page for SharePoint

Salaudeen Rajack

Salaudeen Rajack - Information Technology Expert with Two-decades of hands-on experience, specializing in SharePoint, PowerShell, Microsoft 365, and related products. He has held various positions including SharePoint Architect, Administrator, Developer and consultant, has helped many organizations to implement and optimize SharePoint solutions. Known for his deep technical expertise, He's passionate about sharing the knowledge and insights to help others, through the real-world articles!

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