The 403 Forbidden error indicates that the server understands the request, but cannot provide further access. This means that the web page you are trying to open in your browser is a resource that you are not authorized to access.
The two most likely causes of the 403 forbidden error are :
- Problems with the .htaccess file, such as configuration errors or restrictive directives.
- IP deny rules blocking access to specific IP addresses.
Like many other HTTP status codes, there are many different variations in how this error code presents itself.
Here are some common variations 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"
- "HTTP Error 403 – Forbidden – You do not have permission to access the document or program you requested".
To help you fix the 403 forbidden error on your site, we'll cover four distinct troubleshooting steps :
- Check file permissions.
- Check the .htaccess file content.
- Review the rules for denying IP addresses.
- Clear the browser cache.