How do you fix a 403 Forbidden error on your website?

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Introduction

If you have recently tried to access your site and were faced with a message saying that something is "forbidden" or that you do not have permission to access part of your site, you have likely encountered the 403 Forbidden error.

Discovering such an error on your site can be frustrating and discouraging. That is why we have put together this detailed guide to help you fix the 403 Forbidden error and restore your site’s proper functioning as quickly as possible.

What is the 403 Forbidden error?

When you encounter the 403 Forbidden error, it means that the server understood your request but cannot grant you further access. In other words, the web page you are trying to open in your browser is a resource you are not authorized to access.

When you encounter the 403 Forbidden error, it indicates a specific status that the web server communicates to your browser, but more generally, this error is a sign that your access to a resource is restricted. Indeed, every time you browse a website, exchanges between your browser and the server take place in the background. Normally, everything works fine and you get the status code 200, but when problems occur, different codes may appear. The 403 Forbidden error, in particular, indicates that the server has understood your request, but it refuses to give you access to the requested resource. This could be compared to a situation where you try to attend a private event, only to discover that your name has been removed from the guest list without explanation.

What causes the 403 Forbidden error?

The 403 Forbidden error can have two main origins:

• A damaged .htaccess file.
• Incorrect file permissions.

It is also possible for this error to occur due to a malfunction related to an extension used on your site.

Variations of the 403 Forbidden error

As with many other HTTP status codes, the 403 Forbidden error can appear in various ways.

Here are some common examples you might encounter:

• "Forbidden – You don’t have permission to access / on this server"
• "403 – Forbidden: Access is denied"
• "Error 403 – Forbidden"
• "403 – Forbidden Error – You are not allowed to access this address"
• "403 Forbidden – Nginx"
• "HTTP Error 403 – Forbidden – You do not have permission to access the document or program you requested"
• "403 Forbidden – Access to this resource on the server is denied"
• "403. That’s an error. Your client does not have permission to get URL / from this server"
• "You are not authorized to view this page"
• "It appears you don’t have permission to access this page."

In general, if you notice a mention of "forbidden" or "not allowed to access," you are likely encountering a 403 Forbidden error.

How to fix the 403 Forbidden error?

The nine steps below may help you correct the 403 Forbidden error.

1. Refresh the page and recheck the address

Sometimes simple solutions can solve complex problems. So try refreshing the page you are having trouble accessing. The 403 error may be temporary, so you may succeed in accessing the page after a refresh.

Also make sure to check the spelling of the URL. If the address you are trying to reach is a directory rather than a web page, you will likely encounter a 403 error. For example: www.domain.ext/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/

2. Clear your browser cache

Another practical method is to clear your browser cache.

The cache is a useful tool that helps websites load faster. However, it can sometimes happen that the cached version of a page does not match its actual version.

3. Change your file permissions

Each folder and file on your server has its own specific permissions that determine the allowed actions:

• Read: allows you to view the data in the file or display the contents of a folder.
• Write: authorizes modifying the file or adding/removing files in a folder.
• Execute: allows the file to be run as a script or to access a folder and execute functions and commands.

These permissions are represented by a three-digit number, each digit indicating the permission level for the three categories mentioned above.

Normally, these permissions are only relevant to your site. However, problems with file permissions can lead to the 403 Forbidden error.

To check and modify your site’s file permissions, you can use the file manager provided with your hosting.

Once in the file manager, you can view the permissions of a file or folder (2) and change them (1).

Of course, manually checking permissions for every file or folder is not practical. Instead, you can automatically apply file permissions to all files or folders in a directory.

According to the WordPress Codex, the ideal file permissions for WordPress are:

• Files: 644 or 640
• Folders: 755 or 750

An exception is made for your wp-config.php file, which should have permissions of 440 or 400.

To set these permissions, right-click the folder containing your site (the folder name is htdoc at LWS) and select "File access rights". Then enter 755 or 750 in the Numeric value box, choose "Recurse into subdirectories" (1) and "Apply to folders only" (2).

Next, follow the same process for files by entering 644 or 640 in the Numeric value field, selecting "Recurse into subdirectories" (1) and "Apply to files only" (2).

Finally, manually adjust the permissions of your wp-config.php file to 440 or 400.

If file permission problems caused the 403 Forbidden error, your site should now work properly.

4. Delete and restore the .htaccess file

A common cause of the 403 Forbidden error is a problem in your site’s .htaccess file.

The .htaccess file is a configuration file used by the Apache web server. It allows you to configure redirects, restrict access to certain parts of your site, and more.

Because it is so powerful, even a small mistake can cause a major problem, such as the 403 Forbidden error.

Instead of trying to troubleshoot the .htaccess file itself, a simpler solution is to force WordPress to generate a new, clean .htaccess file.

Here is how to do it:

1. Log in to the file manager of your hosting account
2. Find the .htaccess file in your root folder (1).
3. Download (2) a copy of the file to your computer (it is always a good idea to have a backup copy just in case).
4. Delete (3) the .htaccess file from your server after making a safe backup copy on your local computer.

Now, you should be able to access your WordPress site if your .htaccess file was the problem.

To force WordPress to generate a new clean .htaccess file:

1. Go to Settings (1) → Permalinks (2) in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click Save (3) Changes at the bottom of the page (you do not need to make any changes — just click the button).

And that is it — WordPress will now generate a new .htaccess file for you.

5. Disable and then re-enable your plugins

If neither your site’s file permissions nor the .htaccess file seem to be the issue, the next place to check is your WordPress plugins. There may be a bug in a plugin or a compatibility issue between different plugins.

To find the plugin responsible, we invite you to follow this documentation.

6. Temporarily disable the CDN

If you are getting 403 forbidden errors on your resources (images, JavaScript, CSS), this could be a problem with your content delivery network (CDN).

If you use a CDN service such as Cloudflare, we recommend temporarily reconfiguring LWS default DNS settings to check whether the problem comes from the CDN.

7. Check whether Hotlink protection is misconfigured

Hotlinking happens when someone embeds an image on their site, but the link to that image still points to someone else’s site. To prevent this, some people set up what is called "hotlink protection" with their hosting provider or CDN provider.

When hotlink protection is enabled, it usually generates a 403 Forbidden error. That is completely normal. However, if you are encountering a 403 Forbidden error on something that should not be blocked, make sure hotlink protection is configured correctly.

8. Disconnect from your VPN

Here is another simple tip that could solve this issue.

Some sites may block access for users using a VPN, which could explain why you are encountering the 403 Forbidden error.

To check whether this is the case, disconnect from the VPN and try accessing the site another way. You can also try switching to another server offered by your VPN service.

9. Contact customer support

If none of the solutions above worked for you, we recommend that you contact our technical support to benefit from a personalized analysis of your problem.

Conclusion

You now know how to:

• Identify the 403 Forbidden error and understand its implications.
• Recognize the different causes that can lead to this error on your site.
• Apply practical solutions to resolve the error, including refreshing the page, clearing your browser cache, changing your file permissions, or restoring the .htaccess file.
• Take steps to prevent the error from happening again by temporarily disabling plugins or the CDN, checking the Hotlink protection configuration, or disconnecting from your VPN.
• Ask for professional help if you are unable to solve the problem yourself.

🔧 With these tools in hand, you are now equipped to deal with this frustrating error and restore access to your site. 🌐 Remember that every problem has its solution and that sometimes a simple page refresh or configuration tweak can make all the difference. 💡

Thank you for reading, and we hope this article was helpful to you. If you have any questions or would like to share your experience with the 403 Forbidden error, feel free to leave a comment below. Your feedback is valuable and helps improve our service. 🙏