How To: Redirect Joomla 3.X 404 Page to Homepage

The quick and easy way to redirect any 404 page to your main homepage in Joomla.

1. Inside your Joomla web directory, copy the error.php file from templates/system to root of your template directory (not your Joomla directory).

2. Add the following detection code right below the statement defined( '_JEXEC' ) or die( 'Restricted access' );

if (($this->error->getCode()) == '404') {
header('Location: /index.php');
exit;
}

If you are using SEO URL’s, you can simply remove index.php leaving only the / in place.

3. Try to browse your website with a link you know does not exist. It should instantly redirect your homepage now!

This is best practice for a website that does not have much content (static) or will never receive much content in the future.