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Fixing WP-PageNavi 404 Errors and Pagination Not Working

49 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Wp-pagenavi

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If you've landed here, you're likely frustrated because your WP-PageNavi pagination links are leading to a 404 "Page Not Found" error, or clicking on page 2 just redirects you back to the homepage without showing new posts. This is one of the most common issues users face with this plugin, and it's almost always related to how the WordPress query is handled in your theme files, not a bug in the plugin itself.

Why This Happens

The core of the problem lies in a misunderstanding of how WordPress handles pagination. WordPress uses a main query to determine what content to display based on the URL. The WP-PageNavi plugin simply generates links based on that query. When you create a custom query using query_posts or new WP_Query without properly handling the 'paged' parameter or resetting the main query, you break the inherent connection between the URL and the content, leading to 404 errors or incorrect page displays.

Common Solutions

1. Correctly Use the 'paged' Parameter

A frequent mistake is using 'page' instead of 'paged' for the query argument. For front pages, homepages, and archive pages, you must use 'paged'.

$paged = ( get_query_var( 'paged' ) ) ? get_query_var( 'paged' ) : 1;
$args = array(
    'posts_per_page' => 5,
    'paged' => $paged, // NOT 'page'
);
$custom_query = new WP_Query( $args );

2. Avoid query_posts()

The WordPress Codex strongly advises against using query_posts() as it modifies the main query and can cause significant pagination issues. It should be replaced with a secondary WP_Query or by using the pre_get_posts hook to modify the main query safely.

3. Pass the Correct Query to wp_pagenavi()

If you are using a custom query object (like $custom_query), you must pass that specific query to the wp_pagenavi() function. If you don't, the function will try to paginate the main WordPress query, which won't match your custom loop.

// Your custom loop using $custom_query
have_posts() ) : $custom_query->the_post(); ?>
    ... // Your post content


// Correctly paginate the custom query
 $custom_query ) ); ?>

4. Check Your Permalink Structure

Sometimes, a simple permalink refresh can resolve odd 404 issues. Go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress admin and simply click "Save Changes" without making any changes. This flushes the rewrite rules and can often clear up conflicts.

5. For Category & Archive Templates

On category, tag, or other archive pages, it's often best to use the main query. If you need to modify it, use the pre_get_posts hook in your theme's functions.php file instead of creating a new query in the template. This preserves all the original pagination and taxonomy data.

Example of a Correct Implementation

Here is a safe way to implement a custom loop with WP-PageNavi on a Page Template.

 'post',
    'category__in'   => array( 6 ),
    'posts_per_page' => 5,
    'paged'          => $paged
);

// Create a new custom query
$custom_query = new WP_Query( $args );

// Run the custom loop
if ( $custom_query->have_posts() ) : 
    while ( $custom_query->have_posts() ) : $custom_query->the_post();
        // Display your post content here
        the_title();
        the_excerpt();
    endwhile;

    // Paginate the CUSTOM query
    wp_pagenavi( array( 'query' => $custom_query ) );

    // Reset postdata to restore the main query
    wp_reset_postdata();

else :
    echo 'No posts found.';
endif;
?>

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 404 and pagination issues. The problem is almost always in the theme's template code, not the WP-PageNavi plugin. If you continue to have problems, carefully check your query arguments and ensure you are passing the correct query object to the wp_pagenavi() function.

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