Beneficial Ways to Overcome the HTTP Error 403 Asap!

Before we go deep down to the several fixes to counteract HTTP error 403, you need to have a brief understanding of the error. 403 forbidden error is basically an HTTP status code. 403 error might vary based on different situations. Generally, this error pops up if your hosting company made certain changes in your system. Otherwise, it may take place due to the implementation of certain updates. When you receive HTTP error 403, you are just trying to get through a particular address that has limited access or the access is prohibited. Therefore, in this informative post, we will be going to enlist prominent reasons responsible for the above-mentioned issue and the suitable solutions to prevent this at one go.

Underlying Cause of HTTP 403 Error

Encountering a 403 Error popup in the midst of something important is really very irritating. However, before you move ahead and fix this issue, we need to understand the main reasons behind this. The basic reason is that you are trying to access something for which you don’t have adequate authorization. Therefore, throwing a forbidden error 403 implies that you don’t have the provision to access it and move further. This HTTP error 403 takes place due to the below-mentioned causes:

• Incorrect file or folder permissions.
• Improper settings in the .htaccess file.

Let’s rush into the effective ways to remove the above error right now.

How to Fix the Error 403 Forbidden Message

Now we are well aware of the various factors causing this error. Therefore, it is high time to look at how to get rid of this issue. Let’s go through various steps to eradicate this annoying error which states “you don’t have the authorization to view the page.http error 403”:

Fix 1: Examining the .htaccess File

You might not be accustomed to the .htaccess file. This is owing to the fact that file often gets concealed in the project directory. If you are using cPanel, you can view the .htaccess file through the hosting Control Panel using the File Manager. Let’s go through the under-mentioned steps:

1. Find out the File Manager available in the Control Panel.
2. Search for the .htaccess file present in the public_html directory.
3. If you don’t get through the .htaccess file, you should press Settings and then enable Show Hidden Files option.

.htaccess File is basically a server configuration and works primarily through the modification of configuration on the Apache Web Server settings. Although a .htaccess file is available on almost all websites, in some of the scenarios, your website may lack a .htaccess file or you delete it coincidentally. Under such circumstances, you may require to build a .htaccess file manually.

Now that you have your .htaccess file, you need to go through the below-mentioned steps:

1. First, you need to download the .htaccess File in your P.C to have a backup.
2. When you are done, remove the file.
3. Then, try to get through the website.
4. If this works normally, then it signifies that you are using a corrupted .htaccess file.
5. Therefore, in order to get a fresh .htaccess file, you need to open the WordPress dashboard. Then, click on the Settings tab and under the settings tab, press Permalinks.
6. After that, press the Save button at the bottom of the page without performing any changes.
7. This will create a fresh .htaccess file for the website.

Fix 2: Reset File as well as Directory Permissions

Another obvious reason for encountering the HTTP error 403 is the restriction of certain files or folders. Generally, the files which are built come with various default permissions. This will basically govern different areas like reading, writing and execution of files. In order to begin the process, go through the below steps:

1. First, obtain the website files with the help of an FTP client.
2. After that, move to the root directory of the hosting account.
3. Now, choose the main folder containing the website files in public_html. In order to accomplish this, right-click on it and choose the option marked as File Permissions.
4. Moreover, examine Apply to directories only. Then, write permission 775 in the numeric value region and click on OK.
5. Once you make the required changes for folder permission repeat step 3 again. However, in this case, you must select apply to files as the only option and provide 644 in the numeric value field.
6. When the above process gets over, you can easily access your website and examine whether the HTTP error 403 persists or not.

However, if the above process fails to meet the desired purpose, you can go ahead with the next step.

Fix 3: Disable WordPress Plugins

If you came across this error, there are certain chances that the error may be due to an incompatible or faulty plugin. In this method, we will try to deactivate the plugins to check if it resolves the 403 Forbidden Error. The best possible thing you can do is to deactivate all the plugins at once ignoring the entire process individually. Using this step, you can easily identify the problem and work towards a particular solution. Just go through the following steps:

1. In order to begin, access your hosting account using FTP. After that, search for the public_html folder or the folder equipped with WordPress installation files.
2. After that, spot the wp-content folder present on the page.
3. Next, find out the Plugins folder. Then, rename it to something else such as ‘disabled-plugins’.This will make it convenient for you to keep track of it.

Once you deactivate all the plugins, you should make an attempt to access your website again. Will you be able to fix the problem? If the answer is yes, a problematic plugin can be cited as the actual source of error. Moreover, try to deactivate the plugins serially. After that, examine if your website is working fine or not. Thus, you can easily able to identify the faulty plugin.

Also, you have the option to update the plugin if at all required. Otherwise, you can go ahead and install a new one. However, if none of the above-mentioned steps helps to eradicate this HTTP error 403, you need to contact the local hosting provider.

To Sum It Up

If you follow the above methods seriously, you can easily get rid of this annoying HTTP error 403. We have come up with this post just because we understand that this error is very disgusting. Most importantly, when you receive the popup saying “you don’t have the authorization to view the page.http error 403”. Under these circumstances, you won’t be able to access your website. For that matter of fact, we have designed this user guide in a step-by-step fashion in order to bring your website back to action in no time. Moreover, you can refer to the user guide to have a quick glance. However, if you have any new ideas, you can provide that in the comment section below.