How To Fix 403 Forbidden

By Author: Janes Brown
Total Articles: 8
Comment this article

When you visit an empty website directory or a specific page with a permission error, you may receive the 403 forbidden error. Because most websites are set up to prevent attackers from accessing sensitive data, directory browsing is disabled.

If you or your visitors discover this error on your site, you must resolve the problem immediately or risk losing valuable traffic. Because the causes of 403 errors differ, there are numerous strategies for resolving them.

We'll go over the various forms of 403 prohibited errors, their likely causes, and how to repair them.

What is a 403 error?

When the web page (or another resource) you're trying to open in your web browser is a resource that is not allowed to access, you'll get a 403 Forbidden Error. The HTTP status code used by the webserver to denote that type of problem is 403, hence it's termed a 403 error.

This error frequently occurs for one of two reasons. The first is that the web server's owners have properly configured access permissions, and you are not permitted to access the resource. The second explanation is that the webserver's ...
... owners have set permissions incorrectly, and you're being denied access when you shouldn't be.

Website designers can change the appearance of a 403 error like they do with 404 and 502 errors. As a result, different 403 pages may appear on several websites. This error may be referred to by different names on different websites.For instance, you might come across the following:

=> 403 Forbidden
=> HTTP error 403
=> Forbidden
=> HTTP error 403-forbidden
=> HTTP error 403: forbidden
=> Error 403
=> Forbidden: You don’t have permission to access this server
=> Error 403-Forbidden

Most of the time, there isn't much you can do on your end to make things better. Either you're not supposed to access the resource, or there's a server-side error. It's sometimes a momentary error, and sometimes it's not. You can, however, attempt a few things.

How to fix 403 forbidden error

1. Refresh the Page-It's always worth a try to refresh the page. Often, the 403 error is only transitory, and a quick refresh will solve the problem. To refresh, most browsers employ Ctrl+R on Windows or Cmd+R on Mac, as well as a Refresh button in the URL bar. It doesn't always solve the problem, but it only takes a second to try.

2. Double Check the Address-A mistyped URL is the most frequent cause of a 403 error. Make sure you're trying to access a website or file. A typical URL would end in.com, .org, .html or have an extension, whereas a directory URL would usually end in "/."

For security reasons, most servers are set up to prevent directory browsing. You'll be redirected to another page once they've configured. You might get a 403 error if they aren't.

3. Clear Your Browser Cookies and Cache- It's also conceivable that the error page has been cached in your browser, but the website's actual link has changed. You'll need to erase your browser's cache and cookies to try this option.

Although clearing the cache will have little effect on your surfing experience, some websites may take a few seconds longer to load as they re-download all previously cached data. Most websites will want you to sign in again and clear cookies.

To clear your browser's cache, use this comprehensive guide, which will show you how to do so in all of the major desktop and mobile browsers, including Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.

4. Check if You Have Permission to Access the URL- If you're attempting to access a website that requires you to log in before viewing the material, this could be the source of the problem. Typically, servers will display an error message informing you that you must be logged in to access the info. However, some servers with incorrect configurations may return a 403 error. If possible, try logging into the website to check if the issue disappears.

5. Contact Your ISP- If you can prove that the website in question is accessible to others but not to you, likely, your ISP's public IP address (or your entire ISP) has been blocked for some reason. You might try calling them and notifying them of the issue.

6. Disconnect from Your VPN-If you try to connect to a website over a VPN, you will see an HTTP 403 forbidden error notice. If you suspect this is the issue, turn off your VPN and try connecting to the website again. Because not every VPN server is blocked by every website, you should consider moving to a different server supplied by your VPN service—or switching to a new VPN service entirely.

Conclusion- how to fix 404 error page not found

403 forbidden errors can be very frustrating since they prevent you from accessing a resource. They are most commonly caused by wrong file permissions, but they can also be caused by a missing index file, malfunctioning plugins, or even a malware infestation.

It can be hard to figure out what's causing the 403 problems. We're sure that if you follow the steps outlined in this post, you'll be able to get your website back up and running.

The HTTP error 403 prohibited is just one of several. You may have seen other client-side failures, such as the 404 error, or server-side problems, such as the 504 gateway timeout, as a website owner.

FAQ

How do I fix Error 403 Forbidden on Mac?

Quitting and restarting Safari and your particular device is a popular solution.

How do I fix error 403 on google?

Reset everything: Switch off your router or modem, wait a few seconds, and then turn things back on if the 403 forbidden message only occurs on some internet connection.

How do I fix Error 403 Forbidden on Android?

Error 403 in the Google Play Store on Android
- Go to the Settings menu on your device.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap the three dots icon (at the upper right)
- Tap Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
- Find and tap Google Play Store.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear cache.
- Tap OK.