WordPress has several features that make it a leading platform for blogs and websites. Though WordPress is imperative CMS, it is also not untouchable from errors. Several errors strike on the site, and wordpress 403 forbidden is one of them. When you view this error, it indicates something wrong with file permission and settings. Hence fixing those settings and fault is necessary. Every file and folder contains a permissions number for access. These numbers allow reading and accessing the file. Despite the fact that error 403 is complicated, it can be ruled out. The appearance of failure is different on every web browser and operating system. They generally appear as
HTTP Error 403.14-Forbidden
HTTP 403
Forbidden, Error 403
Forbidden 403
And in some event, you will get Access Denied notification.
When you receive an error on your site, codes will showcase a notification on your display. A 403 Forbidden WordPress Error and similar other errors are associated with HTTP. The HTTP links web browser to your web server. When we type HTTP URL in a web browser, it starts to send and accept codes via a web server to show on the browser.
These codes are known as HTTP status and generally disguised from users. When there is an error, the HTTP will receive a notification that says: error 403, 500 internal server error, gateway timeout error 504, bad gateway error 502, error 404, and others.
Generally, error 403 is showcase when the web server doesn’t allow access to the page to show. The error states the file or page you are looking for is removed, or you don’t have permission to see it. You see error 403 in some conditions.
Why forbidden error 403 hits on my website
One of the core causes of forbidden error 403 in WordPress is the wrong setting in files and folder permissions. Weak security actions of security plugins are also behind the mistake. The security plugins help in restricts any harmful or doubtful IP trying to access your website.
An error on the .htaccess file is also one of the reasons. Often the hosting company makes an unexpected error while creating your webs server. These errors can result in error 403.
How to Troubleshoot Forbidden Error 403?
Now you are aware of the reasons for error 403. Hence before doing any troubleshooting step, kindly take the backup of your website, for the security and no data lost purpose
Review the File Permissions
You need to consult your hosting provider to troubleshoot the file permissions issue. If you know how to fix file permissions error, then you can do it yourself. But the assistance of experts is highly recommended. It can bring a problem to your site if you try to edit the file without having expertise. Hence if you are not aware of how these permissions works, assign this task to experts.
Each particular file on the server has permissions. The permissions tell who can access your data and who cannot. In case these permissions are configured wrongly, it results in error 403, and your server denied access to the file or page that you requested.
Eliminate the plugins from the website
If the above method doesn’t sort out, it means that there is some issue in Plugins—all you need to go to the plugins section and uninstall them in sequence. Reload your website after each plugins deletion. When you find the offender plugins, it means that a specific Plugin was causing the error.
Fix the .htaccess file
We have seen that .htaccess file often creates the error. It happens when the .htaccess file is not generated correctly, or codes and rewrite rules of the site is the wrong write.
Get access to the root directory in FTP clients or CPanel. Now change the name of the file and reload the server with updates. By creating a new .htaccess file, it will help users to eliminate the WordPress 404 error from the website
In case you want to change the permissions, implement actions described below
- Get access of Root folder with FTP clients and CPanel login
- Choose the folder and then right-click on it
- Choose “File Permissions’
Ensure that every folder of the website must have 755 or 744 permissions. Each file on your WordPress mandatory has 640 or 644 permissions. Set folder permission inside the root fodder to 755 or 744.
After that, click on tick “Recurse into subdirectories” and “apply to directories only” and tick OK. Your FTP start overwrites the save changes. When it is complete, repeat this for every single file and folder on the server. This possibly removes error 403 from the server.
Conclusion
Though many errors can breakdown the website, error 403 can negatively affect the performance of the website. However, fortunately, it is not difficult to fix. The techniques mentioned above are enough to troubleshoot the issue.