What Is 403 Forbidden Error & How To Fix It?

A 403 forbidden error displays if the web server prohibits you from accessing the page that you are trying to open in the web browser. There are two reasons to get this error.

1. The web server owners have strictly set up access permissions so that you can’t access the resources.

2. The owners of web server have set up the permission improperly which deny you to access a web page.

How the 403 errors should look, it can be customized by the web designers so that it looks different on distinct websites or pages. Even websites might use slightly different names for this error, such as:

1. 403 Forbidden

2. Forbidden

3. Forbidden: You don’t have permission to access [directory] on this server

4. HTTP Error 403 – Forbidden

5. HTTP Error 403.14 – Forbidden

6. HTTP 403

7. Error 403

8. Error 403 – Forbidden

Most probably this error can be fixed on your own following some simple tricks as given below:

How To Fix 403 Error

1. Refresh The Page

   Sometimes, the 403 error is temporary, and you can fix it by simply refreshing the page. The F5 key is used to refresh although the refresh button will also be there somewhere on the address bar. Remember, it does not fix the problem very often, but it takes a few seconds to fix the error.

2. Double Check The Address

   Mistyped URL is a common reason for 403 error. Make sure the address you are trying to access should be for web pages, not a directory. The common URL would end in .com, .php, .html, .org or have an extension while directory URL may end with ‘/’.

3. Clear Browser Cookies & Cache

   Though the actual issue is related to link on the website, it is possible that cache in the browser could cause 403 error. Clear the browser cookies and cache. It will also help in improving browsing speed.

4. Check The Permission To Access URL

   Sometimes, when you try to access the URL, it asks for login details to see the content. Generally, the servers are configured to display an error before letting you access the content.

5. Contact Your ISP

   If you can confirm that the website is working for others, but not for you, then it may be that the public IP address your ISP provided you have been blocked. Try to contact them and let them know about the problem.

6. Contact The Website

   Contact the website owner, and for this, you can try to find their contact information from social media or any other source.

Conclusion

403 Errors are one of the most irritating errors that are often caused by incorrect configuration of either server or the robots.txt file. If you get 403 errors on your site, act quickly because this issue will lead to de-index your URLs for not delivering content and for being negative for the user experience.

At IntegraWeb, we are the leading web design and digital marketing agency in Halifax. We not only help to design your business website but also make sure to run it smoothly without getting any error. To make your website error-free, reach us and discuss your requirements with our professionals today.