How to Fix a 504 Gateway Timeout Error (12 Easy Solutions)

Key highlights 

• Understand what a 504 gateway timeout means and how it affects your website. 
• Discover the common causes and variations of gateway timeout errors. 
• Learn step-by-step methods to fix 504 error across servers and browsers. 
• Explore the SEO risks of unresolved HTTP 504 troubleshooting issues. 
• Follow our expert-backed gateway timeout solutions to restore site performance. 
• Find out how Bluehost’s reliable hosting helps prevent server timeout error fix scenarios.

Seeing a 504 gateway timeout error pop up on your screen? Annoying, right? 

This frustrating error, for website owners, means your server didn’t get a timely response from another one and your website visitors are left hanging. But don’t worry. With the right steps, you can fix 504 error issues quickly. 

In this guide, we’ll explain the error and how it affects your site and share proven gateway timeout solutions to get things back on track quickly. Whether you need HTTP 504 troubleshooting or a full server timeout error fix, we’ve got you covered. 

Let’s dive in. 

What is a 504 gateway timeout? 

A 504 gateway timeout is an HTTP status code that indicates one server did not receive a timely response from another server it needed to access a web page. It’s a server-side error, meaning the issue lies with the server, not your device or Internet connection. 

This server error usually happens when: 

• A web server takes too long to respond. 
• The origin server is down or overloaded. 
• There are proxy settings or network connectivity issues.

Essentially, when the server sends a request and doesn’t get a reply fast enough, your browser displays a 504 error instead of loading the site. 

What 504 gateway timeout errors look like? 

An HTTP 504 error page can appear in different styles depending on your browser, operating system or application. Regardless of how it looks, it signals the same issue: the server didn’t respond to a page request in time. 

• Google Chrome browser: 

“This site can’t be reached” — Chrome shows this message when a 504 gateway timeout occurs due to a timely response not being received from the server.

• Windows updates:

This update error includes: Error Code: WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT 

It indicates a server-side issue where the system fails to connect to the upstream server or domain name system (DNS) servers during a software update.

• Windows programs: 

“Error 504” may appear in apps like Excel when a proxy server, network settings or Internet connection blocks communication with a web server. 

Also read: How to Resolve ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT: Quick Tips & Tricks (2025) 

What are the variations of the 504 gateway timeout error? 

The 504 gateway timeout error doesn’t always look the same. Depending on your browser, server or operating system, the wording may vary — but the meaning is consistent: a server didn’t respond in time. 

Common variations of the 504 error message include: 

• 504 Gateway Timeout 
• 504 Gateway Time-out — The server didn’t respond in time 
• Gateway Timeout Error 
• Error 504 
• 504 ERROR 
• HTTP Error 504 
• HTTP 504 
• Gateway Timeout (504) 
• 504 Gateway Timeout NGINX 
• NGINX 504 Gateway Timeout 
• HTTP Error 504 – Gateway Timeout 
• “This page isn’t working — Domain took too long to respond” 
• “The page request was canceled because it took too long to complete” 
• A blank white screen with no explanation

Despite these variations, all these messages fall under the same group of HTTP status codes indicating a timeout issue.  

These messages may appear during high traffic, due to server overload or issues with proxy servers, DNS servers or even a misconfigured network setting. 

What are the impacts of 504 gateway timeout errors on SEO? 

A 504 gateway timeout error can hurt your website’s SEO if it occurs frequently or lasts too long. Search engines like Google want to deliver a good experience to users. One major SEO impact is that frequent errors can reduce your site’s credibility in the eyes of search engines. 

Key SEO impacts of 504 errors 

• Search engines may reduce your site’s visibility if they can’t access your web page during a crawl. 
• Frequent gateway timeout errors can increase bounce rates, which negatively affect rankings. 
• Google may eventually de-index pages that show persistent server-side errors. 
• Delays in response from your web server may trigger http timeouts, affecting overall website performance.

While a single 504 gateway timeout might not cause immediate damage, repeated or long-lasting errors can lead to drops in traffic and visibility. 

SEO tip: 

Use tools to monitor server connectivity issues and act quickly to fix 504 error messages before they impact your rankings. 

Also read: 9 Best SEO Tools for Beginners in 2025 

How to fix the 504 gateway timeout error? 

The 504 gateway timeout error can occur due to multiple reasons. But the good news is that you can troubleshoot and fix it using several reliable methods.  

Below are the most effective gateway timeout solutions to help you restore your site and keep your website visitors happy. 

12 ways to fix the 504 gateway timeout error 

1. Reload the webpage 
2. Restart your modem or router 
3. Check your proxy settings 
4. Resolve DNS issues 
5. Disable the CDN temporarily 
6. Monitor for DDoS or bot traffic 
7. Contact your hosting provider 
8. Review server error logs 
9. Deactivate plugins and themes 
10. Repair the WordPress database 
11. Adjust Apache/NGINX timeout settings 
12. Optimize backend code and database queries

Let’s walk through each of these solutions in detail to help you identify what’s causing the error and how to fix it effectively. 

1. Try reloading the webpage 

Start with the simplest fix—refresh the web page. A 504 gateway timeout may be caused by a temporary issue such as high traffic or a delayed server sends response. Hit refresh or use Ctrl + R to reload. If the error disappears, it was likely a one-off glitch. If the error persists, continue to the next steps. 

2. Reboot your network devices 

Sometimes, connectivity issues with your modem or router can prevent communication between your system and the Internet service provider. Restart your modem, router and connected network devices. This clears out any temporary disruptions that might be interfering with your Internet connection and causing the server to time out. 

3. Check your proxy settings 

Misconfigured proxy settings are a common cause of 504 gateway timeout errors, especially if you’re using a proxy server or third-party proxy services for added security.  

To fix this, follow these steps to reset or disable the proxy settings on your browser or operating system: 

For Windows: 

• Press “Windows + I” to open Settings. 
• Click on “Network & Internet” > “Proxy.” 

• Under Manual proxy setup, toggle off “Use a proxy server.”

For macOS: 

• Click on the “Apple” logo and select “System Preferences.” 

• Go to “Network”, select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), then click on “Advanced.” 
• In the “Proxies” tab, uncheck any selected proxy protocols and click “OK.”

After disabling or resetting the proxy settings, check if the error persists. This should help restore proper connectivity and resolve the timeout issue. 

4. Check for DNS issues 

DNS issues can prevent your browser from connecting to the intended origin server, which may lead to a 504 gateway timeout error. To resolve this, you can flush the DNS cache on your machine or switch to a reliable DNS service like Google’s public DNS.

Follow these steps: 

Flush DNS cache on Windows: 

• Press “Windows + R” to open the Run dialog box. 
• Type “cmd” and press “Enter” to open Command Prompt. 
• In Command Prompt, type the following command and press “Enter”:

ipconfig /flushdns

• You should see a message saying, “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.” 

Flush DNS cache on macOS: 

• Open “Terminal” (found in Applications > Utilities). 
• To flush the DNS cache, type the following command and press “Enter:”

sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

• Enter your admin password if prompted, and you will have cleared the DNS cache. 

Also read: Common DNS Issues and How to Solve Them 

5. Disable your site’s CDN temporarily 

A content delivery network (CDN) can occasionally create delays, especially if there’s an outage or misconfiguration. Disable your site’s CDN temporarily to test if it’s contributing to the problem. If the page loads without it, you may need to reconfigure your CDN or contact support. 

To determine if the CDN is contributing to the 504 gateway timeout error, try disabling it temporarily. Here’s how to do it: 

For Cloudflare CDN: 

• Log in to your Cloudflare account. 

• From the dashboard, select the domain you want to manage. 
• Go to the “Overview” section. 

• Scroll down and click the “Advanced Actions” dropdown. 

• Select “Pause Cloudflare on Site.” 
• Confirm by clicking “Pause” when prompted.

6. Check for spam, bots or DDoS attacks 

An overload of malicious visitors—including bots or a DDoS attack—can overwhelm your web servers, causing them to become unresponsive. This type of server overload leads to 504 gateway timeout errors. Use a firewall or security plugin to monitor and block suspicious traffic. 

To protect your site and identify these issues, follow these steps: 

For WordPress: 

• Install a security plugin – “Wordfence.” 

• Once installed, go to the “Dashboard” of your plugin and look for sections like “Live Traffic” (in Wordfence). 

• These sections will help you identify suspicious IP addresses or malicious requests.

For other platforms: 

• Use Cloudflare or similar services that provide built-in bot mitigation and DDoS protection. 
• Log in to your “Cloudflare account.” go to the “Firewall” tab and check the “Firewall Events” to identify any suspicious traffic or attack patterns. 

• Enable the “Under Attack Mode” on Cloudflare, which challenges visitors with a JavaScript challenge before accessing your site, protecting your site from automated attacks.

Also read: Is My Website Protected Against DDoS Attacks? 

7. Check server issues with your host 

Sometimes the problem lies with your hosting provider. If there’s a server-side issue or server connectivity problem, they’ll be able to confirm and fix it.  

Contact your provider’s support team and ask them to check if there’s a fault with the upstream server or a delayed http request that’s causing the timeout. 

8. Check error logs 

Your server logs offer a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening when the 504 gateway timeout error occurs. Log in to your control panel and access the logs to identify failed processes, slow queries or system crashes. These clues can help pinpoint the source of the problem quickly. 

Here’s how you can check the error logs: 

For WordPress: 

• Log in to your “WordPress Dashboard.” 
• Install and activate a plugin, “WP Debugging.” 

• Once activated, go to the “Tools” menu and select “Debug” to view the error logs. 

• Look for any PHP errors, database connection issues or timeout errors related to the 504 gateway issue.

For cPanel hosting (common in shared hosting): 

• Log in to “cPanel.” 
• Scroll to the “Metrics” section and click on “Errors.” 

• This section will display the most recent error log entries for your site. Look for any server errors or messages related to timeouts or resource limits that might be causing the issue.

9. Check your site’s plugins and themes 

Conflicts between WordPress plugins or theme files can delay processing and cause a 504 error. Access the WordPress admin dashboard, deactivate all plugins and test your site. If the error disappears, activate each plugin one by one to find the one causing the issue. 

Check your WordPress theme:  

• In your WordPress Dashboard, go to “Appearance” > “Themes.” 

• Switch to the default WordPress theme (such as “Twenty Twenty-Five”). 

• Check if the site loads without the error. If the error disappears, the issue may be with your active theme. 
• If you’re using a custom or premium theme, try updating it to the latest version or reach out to the theme developer for support.

10. Repair your corrupted WordPress database 

A corrupted WordPress database can block server-side communication, causing delays and failures in loading your website. Use tools like phpMyAdmin or your hosting dashboard’s repair function to scan and fix database tables. This step is crucial for eliminating deep-rooted backend issues. 

To fix a corrupted database, follow these steps to repair function in your hosting dashboard: 

Using phpMyAdmin: 

• Log in to your hosting control panel (for example, cPanel). 
• Under the “Databases” section, click on “phpMyAdmin.” 

• In phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database from the left-hand panel. 

• You’ll see a list of database tables. Click on “Check All” to select all tables. 
• From the “With selected” dropdown menu, choose “Repair table.” 

• phpMyAdmin will scan and attempt to repair any corrupted tables. Once the process is complete, you’ll see a confirmation message.

11. Configure Apache or NGINX settings properly 

If you’re using Apache or NGINX, check your configuration files. A low default timeout setting may prevent your server from waiting long enough for a response, leading to a 504 gateway timeout. Adjusting timeout values can help maintain smoother server-side operations. 

Follow these steps to configure timeout settings for both Apache and NGINX: 

For Apache: 

• Access the Apache configuration file (usually located at /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf or /etc/apache2/apache2.conf). 
• Open the file using a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

• Find the Timeout directive and increase its value (e.g., set it to 300 seconds): 

Timeout 300

• Also, adjust ProxyTimeout and KeepAliveTimeout if needed. 
• Save the changes and restart Apache:

sudo service apache2 restart

For NGINX: 

• Access the NGINX configuration file (usually located at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf or /etc/nginx/sites-available/default). 
• Open the file using a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

• Add or modify these directives to increase timeout values: 

client_max_body_size 10M; 
proxy_connect_timeout 300s; 
proxy_read_timeout 300s; 
proxy_send_timeout 300s; 
send_timeout 300s

• Save the changes and restart NGINX: 

sudo service nginx restart

These steps will help you adjust the timeout settings for both Apache and NGINX. 

12. Optimize your site’s backend code and database queries 

Slow scripts, inefficient code and unoptimized queries can delay server responses, especially under high traffic. Review your backend processes and optimize wherever possible. This not only fixes gateway timeout errors but also improves your site’s performance and reduces future server timeout error fixes.  

Here are the steps for optimizing your site’s backend code and database queries: 

1. Review and optimize scripts: 

• Identify slow or resource-heavy scripts in your backend code (for example, PHP scripts). 
• Use tools like Query Monitor (for WordPress) to identify slow queries and functions. 
• Optimize or refactor any inefficient scripts to improve performance.

2. Optimize database queries: 

• Use indexing on frequently queried database fields to speed up query execution. 
• Avoid running expensive queries, like those with JOIN operations, on large tables.

3. Use caching: 

• Implement Object Caching and Query Caching to reduce database load. 
• Use caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache for WordPress to cache dynamic content.

4. Minimize database calls: 

• Avoid redundant database queries by reducing the number of requests made to the database. 
• Use transients or object caching to store temporary data and reduce frequent queries.

5. Optimize images and assets: 

• Compress and serve images in the most efficient format (for example, WebP). 
• Use lazy loading for images to reduce initial page load times.

Also read: Best Image Size for Websites + How To Optimize Them 

6. Check for third-party script conflicts: 

• Review external scripts and plugins that might be affecting performance (for example, ad scripts, tracking or social sharing tools). 
• Remove or delay the loading of unnecessary external scripts.

These steps help identify and fix slow scripts, inefficient code and unoptimized database queries to improve performance and prevent gateway timeout errors. 

How to prevent 504 gateway timeout errors? 

Preventing a 504 gateway timeout error is far better than fixing it after it disrupts your site. 

To reduce the risk of future gateway timeout errors, follow these best practices: 

1. Monitor your server’s performance 

Use real-time monitoring tools to track your web server’s uptime and responsiveness. These tools alert you to server connectivity issues, spikes from malicious visitors or patterns that lead to 504 gateway timeout errors. Identifying problems early prevents downtime and protects your website from traffic-related disruptions. 

2. Implement load balancing for traffic surges 

Distribute user traffic across multiple web servers using a load balancer. This prevents any one server from getting overwhelmed, especially during high traffic periods. Load balancing is one of the most effective gateway timeout solutions for busy sites and apps that depend on quick server sends and reliable uptime. 

3. Upgrade your hosting provider/services 

Many recurring 504 gateway timeout errors are linked to weak or overloaded hosting environments. Choosing the right hosting provider plays a huge role in preventing these disruptions. 

Bluehost prevents 504 gateway timeout errors through optimized server configurations, Cloudflare CDN integration, AI-powered performance monitoring and DDoS protection—keeping your site responsive even during high traffic or backend lag. 

Here’s how Bluehost helps you prevent gateway timeout errors and maintain a seamless online presence: 

• Optimized server configurations: Our systems are fine-tuned to reduce server-side delays, ensuring every HTTP request is handled efficiently — even during high traffic spikes. 
• Integrated content delivery network (CDN): Improve global load times and reduce stress on your origin server by caching content closer to your website visitors. 
• DDoS attack prevention: We guard against traffic floods from malicious visitors that can cause server overload and trigger 504 gateway timeout messages. 
• Smart traffic routing: Load-balancing technology prevents any one server from becoming a bottleneck, helping your site remain fast and accessible. 
• Built-in troubleshooting tools: Monitor server logs, fix connectivity issues and adjust proxy settings through a user-friendly control panel. 
• Expert WordPress support & 24/7 technical assistance: Whether you’re dealing with a corrupted WordPress database, plugin conflicts, slow queries or a gateway timeout error, our team is here to optimize and maintain your WordPress site. 
• Bluehost Cloud: Enjoy faster load times, enhanced scalability and improved security with Bluehost Cloud, ensuring reliable performance and minimizing issues like gateway timeouts.

With Bluehost, your website benefits from proactive performance, built-in defenses and a team ready to fix 504 gateway timeout errors before they arise. 

Final thoughts 

A 504 gateway timeout can be frustrating, but it’s not the end of the road. Whether it’s caused by a slow upstream server, misconfigured proxy settings or simple connectivity issues, there are many ways to resolve it. The key is understanding what’s behind the error and applying the right solution — fast. 

From reloading the web page to inspecting your server logs or disabling your site’s CDN temporarily, each fix brings you closer to full recovery. And with proper monitoring, server optimization and support, you can reduce the chances of seeing a gateway timeout error ever again. 

With Bluehost, you don’t have to troubleshoot alone. Our hosting platform helps you fix 504 errors faster, prevent server timeouts and boost your website’s performance. 

Get started with Bluehost today! 

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