Design 404 and Error Pages
Feedback & States · errors, navigation, microcopy
Updated 2026-07-28
- Remember that error pages are entry points. People arrive from old links, bookmarks, search results, and shared messages, so this may be the first page they ever see.
- Say what happened in one plain sentence, without status codes or apologies that carry no information.
- Distinguish the cases, because the recovery is different for each:
- The address does not exist.
- The item existed and was deleted.
- The item exists but this account cannot see it.
- Something failed on our side.
- Never say "not found" when the real answer is "not allowed". It is confusing for legitimate users, though sometimes it is the deliberate and correct security choice, in which case make sure support can tell the difference.
- Offer a route forward. Search, the section the address suggests, recently visited items, and the home page cover almost every case.
- Keep the full navigation and branding. A stripped page with a single link makes users feel they have left the product entirely.
- Preserve what they were carrying. A failed page should not silently sign them out, empty a cart, or discard an unsaved draft.
- Log every hit with the referring page. Most 404s are internal links you can fix, and nobody will report them.
An error page is a wayfinding problem wearing a warning sign, and its job is to get the user back to the thing they wanted.
Related guides
UX Handbook