Product Category Translation Not Reachable – 404 on Correct URL

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are trying to display the translated product category archive page in English, but you encounter a 404 error. The issue arises because the '/category/' part of the URL is missing, likely due to a setting in an SEO plugin that removes this base.
Solution:
1. Update Plugins
First, update your WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency plugin to the latest version.
• Visit My Account → Downloads to get the latest release.
• Install and activate it.
• If no updates are shown, click 'Check for updates' in Plugins → Add New → Commercial tab.
2. Confirm Settings
After updating, verify whether the '/category/' base is intact. If the issue persists, it’s likely related to a third-party plugin or custom theme feature that strips out that part of the URL.
3. Test With Default Configuration
• Temporarily disable other SEO or permalink–related plugins and switch to a default theme.
• Recheck the URL to isolate where the change is coming from.
4. Backup First
Always ensure you have a full database and file backup before making updates or major configuration changes.

The client has resolved with a Rank Math setting that removes the product category URL.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the problem persists, please open a new support ticket.

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Tagged: Exception, WCML

This topic contains 1 reply, has 0 voices.

Last updated by andreac-36 1 week, 2 days ago.

Assisted by: Andrey.

Author	Posts
July 2, 2025 at 11:55 am #17192783
andreac-36	Background of the issue: I am trying to display the translated product category archive page in English on my site, which is translated into four languages (IT, EN, FR, DE). All product categories have been correctly translated via Products > Categories, and translated products are associated with their corresponding translated categories. For example, I'm trying to reach the English category page at: hidden link Symptoms: I expected to see the product category archive page in English displaying all translated products in that category. Instead, I got a 404 error page. The translated category page does not resolve, even though the slug exists and products are correctly linked. The other languages (FR, DE) work correctly for the same structure. Only English is affected. Clicking 'View' from the backend on the English category also redirects incorrectly to: hidden link instead of the correct /en/category/ path. Questions: Why does the English category page result in a 404 error while other languages work correctly? Why does clicking 'View' from the backend redirect incorrectly for the English category?
July 2, 2025 at 3:08 pm #17193904
Andrey WPML Supporter since 06/2013 Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)	Thank you for contacting WPML support. When I visit hidden link, I notice that the “/category/” part is missing from the URL. Are you using a plugin or feature that removes “/category/” from URLs? This could be causing the issue. Please take the following steps: 1. Update Plugins First, update your WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency plugin to the latest version to take advantage of recent bug fixes and improvements. • Visit My Account → Downloads to get the latest release. • Install and activate it. • If no updates are shown, click Check for updates in Plugins → Add New → Commercial tab. 2. Confirm Settings After updating, verify whether the /category/ base is intact. If the issue persists, it’s likely related to a third-party plugin or custom theme feature that strips out that part of the URL. 3. Test With Default Configuration • Temporarily disable other SEO or permalink–related plugins and switch to a default theme. • Recheck the URL to isolate where the change is coming from. 4. Backup First Always ensure you have a full database and file backup before making updates or major configuration changes.
July 2, 2025 at 3:37 pm #17194085
andreac-36	Resolved. Yes, the issue was related to a Rank Math setting that was supposed to remove the category base only for the blog section, but it ended up removing it from products as well. Thank you very much for your prompt support.