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This content has been automatically translated from Ukrainian.
When a user tries to access a website but sees the message “403 Forbidden,” it causes surprise and frustration. Even experienced administrators of WordPress or other CMS websites encounter this problem. To restore access to the resource and avoid a recurrence of the situation in the future, it is important to understand the reasons for this error and know how to fix it quickly.
What is a 403 error and why does it occur
A 403 error means that the server received the request but does not allow access to the requested resource. This is not a server error, and there is no need to worry that cheap hosting has let you down. This is a deliberate restriction of access — that is, the site “refuses” to show content to the user. Most often, the problem is related to the fact that the requester does not have the necessary permissions to view the page or file.
This may be due to incorrect access rights, the absence of an index file in the directory, IP address or regional restrictions, or incorrect settings in the .htaccess file. Additionally, access to a specific resource may be blocked due to malfunctioning plugins or during maintenance.
Main ways to resolve a 403 error
The first thing to do is to connect to the site via FTP. For this, you can use FileZilla, for example. Then proceed to check the settings that may be causing the error.
What to check:
- .htaccess — a damaged or incorrect file often leads to access restrictions.
- Access rights — incorrectly set permissions on files and folders.
- Plugins — conflicts or errors in the operation of WordPress extensions.
After each of these steps, check whether the error has disappeared. If not, move on to the next item.
Restore .htaccess and check permissions
The .htaccess file, which is usually located in the root folder of the site, contains rules for processing requests by the server. If there are errors in it, this can lead to blocking access to the site.
To recreate it:
- Make a backup of the existing .htaccess.
- Delete the file from the server.
- Log in to the WordPress admin panel and in the “Settings → Permalinks” section, click “Save Changes” — this will automatically create a new .htaccess.
Also, pay attention to the access rights to files and folders. For folders, 755 or 750 is usually set, for files — 644 or 640. The wp-config.php file may require even stricter restrictions — 440 or 400.
Disabling plugins — another effective method
If you suspect that the error is caused by one of the plugins, you can try temporarily disabling all of them. This is done simply — just rename the plugins folder in the wp-content directory, for example, to plugins-stop.
After that, check if the site works. If so, rename the folder back and sequentially disable the plugins by changing their names until you find the culprit. Once the problematic plugin is identified, it can be deleted, and the others can be reactivated.
Situations where the 403 error appears are familiar to many website owners — and in most cases, it is resolved without involving specialists. Check for issues in the .htaccess file, ensure that permissions for files and folders are set correctly, and disable plugins that may have caused the failure. These are basic actions to start with.
To avoid similar difficulties in the future, it is recommended to keep the site up to date — update the management system and extensions. It would also be useful to set up logging on the server: if necessary, this will help quickly determine what went wrong. Regular maintenance and careful attention to the technical part of the site are key to its stable and secure operation.
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