Class Not Found Error in Laravel – Easy Fix (2025)

One of the most common Laravel errors is:

Class 'App\Http\Controllers\SomethingController' not found


Don’t worry! This usually happens when Laravel cannot find your controller class. Let’s fix it step by step. ✅

🔍 Why Does This Error Happen?

The controller file doesn’t exist in the correct folder.

The namespace in your controller file is incorrect.

Laravel’s autoload files are outdated.

🛠 Step-by-Step Fix
1. Run Autoload & Clear Cache

Open your terminal inside the project folder and run:

composer dump-autoload
php artisan optimize:clear


👉 This refreshes Laravel’s class map and clears old cached files.

2. Check Namespace in Your Controller

Open your controller file (example: SomethingController.php) and make sure the namespace is correct:

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class SomethingController extends Controller
{
public function index()
{
return view('welcome');
}
}


✅ The first line must be:

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

3. Check Route File

In routes/web.php, make sure you are calling the controller like this:

use App\Http\Controllers\SomethingController;

Route::get('/something', [SomethingController::class, 'index']);

🎯 Pro Tips for Beginners

Always keep controller names and files the same (Example: SomethingController.php → SomethingController).

If you rename a controller, update routes too.

Run composer dump-autoload whenever you create or move classes.

✅ Final Words

If you still see this error after following the above steps, check for spelling mistakes or missing files. Most of the time, it’s just a namespace or cache issue.