Fix · GitHub and Git

GitHub Pages shows 404 or a blank page

Not checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

My site address on github.io shows 404
The page opens but without styles or images

Most likely cause

The published branch or folder is not the one that has index.html, or the site is built for the main domain while it lives under /repo-name/.

Check first (about two minutes)

In the repository settings, find the Pages section and read which branch and folder are published (it may be labelled differently).
Check that a file named index.html (lower case) is at the top of that folder.

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows Git and GitHub very well and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
GitHub Pages shows 404 or a blank page

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
The published branch or folder is not the one that has index.html, or the site is built for the main domain while it lives under /repo-name/.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Check where index.html is, and the exact upper and lower case of file names.
2. If styles and images fail, check whether links start with / (they break under /repo-name/); use relative links or set the base path of the build tool.
3. Tell me which branch and folder to select in the Pages settings, then wait a few minutes and test.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- The github.io address opens the page with styles and images.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not move the whole project just to fit Pages; change the base path instead.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Check where index.html is, and the exact upper and lower case of file names.
If styles and images fail, check whether links start with / (they break under /repo-name/); use relative links or set the base path of the build tool.
Tell me which branch and folder to select in the Pages settings, then wait a few minutes and test.

Do not do this

Do not test only on your own computer: open the real address in a private window.
Do not move the whole project just to fit Pages; change the base path instead.

Try another entry