Title: Changing Permalink Structure
Last modified: August 18, 2016

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# Changing Permalink Structure

 *  [erniew](https://wordpress.org/support/users/erniew/)
 * (@erniew)
 * [20 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/changing-permalink-structure-2/)
 * I set up my first WordPress, ignorantly using the default permalink structure.
   Later on, I set up a new WordPress site with the numeric structure. It worked
   well and create pretty links. So I went back to the old site and changed the 
   Permalink options to numeric.
 * Alas — after that, the server couldn’t find anything that I had links to. Fortunately,
   when I changed back to the default permalink structure, the site resumed normal
   function.
 * Is there any trick to change the permalink structure, once a site is up and running?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  [Michael Bishop](https://wordpress.org/support/users/miklb/)
 * (@miklb)
 * [20 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/changing-permalink-structure-2/#post-397430)
 * Are you sure your htaccess file was writable?
 *  [alrescha](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alrescha/)
 * (@alrescha)
 * [20 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/changing-permalink-structure-2/#post-397438)
 * I think what erniew is describing is that his previously written links (that 
   used the old permalink structure) like in old posts that linked to other posts,
   now doesn’t work anymore. (Right?)
 * In that case, I suppose you’d just have to manually go and re-write all those
   links that used the old permalink structure.
 *  Thread Starter [erniew](https://wordpress.org/support/users/erniew/)
 * (@erniew)
 * [20 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/changing-permalink-structure-2/#post-397646)
 * Yes, alrescha is right. When I changed the permalink structure, access to old
   stuff was lost. Not only to old pages, but also the cathegory links in the blog
   where made useless.
 * As for the .htaccess file, its persmissions was 644. And its content did change
   when I changed the permalink structure. Btw, these changes where still in place
   after I changed the structure back to normal.
 * I don’t pretend to understand .htaccess that well, but it doesn’t seem to me 
   that it is an issue in this case. However, once the links where created, I couldn’t
   change the structure without loosing access to old pages and to the blog archive.
   In other words, perhaps you have to stick to your original choice of permalink
   structure, once you have started create links on your site.
 * If this is a proper assumption, then perhaps a warning about it on the option/
   permalink page should be a good idea.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The topic ‘Changing Permalink Structure’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [permalink](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/permalink/)
 * [structure](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/structure/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 3 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [erniew](https://wordpress.org/support/users/erniew/)
 * Last activity: [20 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/changing-permalink-structure-2/#post-397646)
 * Status: not resolved

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