Here's how to troubleshoot a 504 Gateway timeout error
The 504 Gateway Timeout error is an HTTP status code that means a server did not receive a timely response from another server it was accessing while trying to load the web page or fill another browser request.
In other words, 504 errors usually indicate that a different computer, one that the website you're receiving the 504 message on doesn't control but depends on, isn't communicating with it fast enough.
Are you the Webmaster? See the section Fixing 504 Errors on Your Own Site further down the page for some things to consider on your end.
How you can see the 504 error
Individual websites can customize the way they display “gateway timeout” errors, but here are the most common ways each one is explained in detail:
504 Gateway Timeout
Http504
504 ERROR
Gateway Timeout (504)
HTTP Error 504 - Gateway Timeout
Gateway Timeout Error
gateway timeout
A 504 Gateway timeout error appears within the Internet browser window, just like normal web pages do. There may be familiar headers and footers from a site and a nice English message on the page, or it may appear on an all-white page with a big 504 at the top. It is the same message regardless of how it is displayed on the website.
Also, keep in mind that Gateway 504 timeout errors can appear in any internet browser , on any operating system, and on any device . This means that it's possible to get a 504 Gateway timeout error on your Android or iPhone phone or tablet, in Safari on a Mac, in Chrome on Windows 10 (or 8, or 7, …), etc.
Causes of 504 gateway timeout errors
Most of the time, a 504 Gateway timeout error means that some other server is taking so long that its "timeout" is probably down or not working properly.
Since this error is usually a network error between servers on the Internet or a problem with an actual server, the problem is likely not with your computer, device, or Internet connection.
That said, there are a few things you can try, just in case:
How to fix 504 gateway timeout error
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Please try again by clicking the refresh/load button, pressing F5 , or trying the URL from the address bar again.
Although the 504 gateway timeout error is reporting an error outside of your control, the error may only be temporary. Simply retrying the page is a quick and easy thing to try.
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Reboot all your network devices. Temporary issues with your modem, router, switches, or other network hardware could be causing the 504 gateway timeout issue you're seeing. Just rebooting these devices might help.
While the order in which these devices are disabled is not important, the order in which they are disabled is. In general, you want to turn on devices from outside. If you're not sure what that means, check out the link at the beginning of this step for a full tutorial.
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Check the proxy server settings in your browser or application and make sure they are correct. Incorrect proxy settings can cause 504 errors.
Check out Proxy.org for an up-to-date and respected list of proxy servers to choose from. There are also several websites that offer free proxy server list downloads.
Most computers don't have proxy settings, so if yours is empty, don't worry, just skip this step.
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Change your DNS servers, especially if every device on your network is getting the same error. It's possible that the 504 gateway timeout error you're seeing is caused by a problem with the DNS servers you're using.
Unless you have previously changed them, the DNS servers you have configured at this point are probably the ones automatically assigned by your ISP. Fortunately, there are other DNS servers available for you to use that you can choose from. See our list of Free and Public DNS Servers for your options.
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If nothing has worked so far, probably the best thing to do is contact the website. Website administrators are most likely already working on fixing the root cause of the Gateway 504 timeout error, assuming they're aware of it, but there's nothing wrong with touching base with them.
See our Website Contact Information page for help getting in touch with the most popular websites. Most of the major sites have social media accounts that they use to help maintain their services and some even have phone numbers and email addresses.
If it's starting to look like the website might be giving a 504 error for everyone, searching Twitter for real-time information about the site outage is often helpful. The best way to do this is to search for #websitedown on Twitter. For example, if Facebook is down, search for #facebookdown.
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Contact your Internet service provider. It is very likely that at this point, after following all of the troubleshooting instructions above, the 504 gateway timeout you are seeing is an issue caused by a network issue that your service provider is dealing with. The Internet is responsible.
See How to Talk to Technical Support for tips on how to talk to your Internet Service Provider about this issue.
Come back later. You have exhausted all your options at this point and the 504 Gateway Timeout Error is up to the website or your ISP to fix. Please revisit the site regularly. No doubt it will start working again soon.
Fix 504 errors on your own site
Many times this is not your fault at all, but it is not the user's either. Start by verifying that your server can correctly resolve all the domains that your applications require access to.
Very heavy traffic could result in your server serving a 504 error, although a 503 would probably be a bit more accurate.
In WordPress specifically, 504: Gateway Timeout messages are sometimes due to corrupted databases. Install WP-DBManager and then try the “Repair Database” feature, followed by “Optimize Database”, and see if that helps.
Also, make sure your HTACCESS file is correct, especially if you just reinstalled WordPress.
Finally, consider contacting your hosting company. It is possible that the 504 error your website is returning is due to an issue on their end that they will need to resolve.
More ways to see a 504 error
A Gateway Timeout error, when received by Windows Update, generates an error code 0x80244023 or the message WU_E_PT_PT_HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT .
In Windows-based programs that access the Internet natively, a 504 error may appear in a small dialog box or window with the error HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT and/or with a Request timed out waiting for a gateway message. link .
A less common 504 error is Gateway Time-out: The proxy server did not receive a timely response from the upstream server , but the troubleshooting (above) remains the same.
Errors like 504 Gateway Timeout
A number of error messages are similar to the 504 Gateway Timeout error because they all occur on the server side. Some of them include 500 internal server error, 502 Bad Gateway error, and 503 Service Unavailable error among others.
There are also HTTP status codes that are not server-side, but client-side , such as the commonly seen 404 Not Found error. There are several others as well, all of which you can see on our HTTP Status Code Errors page.