Problem: The client reported that their website was experiencing 404 errors on all pages except the homepage. They discovered a rewrite base had been set to their domain with an additional language path, which they had not configured themselves, and wondered if WPML could have caused this change. Solution: We informed the client that WPML does not cause such issues. Instead, it is likely due to third-party plugins that call the flush_rewrite_rules(true) function too frequently, leading to the .htaccess file being overwritten. We recommended the client to: 1. Follow the instructions in our documentation to prevent .htaccess from being overwritten: https://wpml.org/faq/why-is-htaccess-getting-overwritten-with-the-language-folder-on-my-wpml-website/ 2. Re-save the permalinks and check if the issue persists.
If the provided solution does not apply or is outdated, or if the issue persists, we encourage the client to open a new support ticket. We highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that the latest versions of themes and plugins are installed. For further assistance, please contact us in the WPML support forum.
