403 Forbidden: What It Is and How to Fix It

• 1. Reload the Page

Reloading the page is always worth a shot. Many times the 403 error is temporary, and a simple refresh might do the trick. Most browsers use Ctrl+R on Windows or Cmd+R on Mac to refresh, and also provide a Refresh button somewhere on the address bar. It doesn’t fix the problem very often, but it takes just a second to try.

• 2. Double Check the Address

The most common reason for a 403 error is a mistyped URL. Make sure that the address you are trying to access is for a web page or file, not a directory. A regular URL would end in .com, .php, .org, .html, or just have an extension, while a directory URL would usually end with a “/”. Most servers are configured to disallow directory browsing for security reasons. When they’re properly configured, you’re redirected to another page. When they’re not, you might see a 403 error.

• 3. Clear Your Browser Cookies and Cache

It’s also possible the page with the error has been cached in your browser, but the actual link was changed on the website. To test out this possibility, you’ll have to clear your browser cache and cookies.
Clearing the cache won’t affect your browsing experience much, but some websites may take a couple of extra seconds to load as they re-download all the previously cached data. Clearing cookies means you’ll have to sign in again to most websites.

• 4. Check if You Have Permission to Access the URL

If you’re trying to access a website that requires you to log in before you can see the content, then that might be causing the issue. Typically, servers are configured to show you an error letting you know you must be logged in to access the content.
But some improperly configured servers might throw a 403 error instead. Try to log into the website (if possible) and see if the error goes away.

• 5. Contact Your ISP

If you can confirm that the website in question is working for others but not for you, then it’s possible that the public IP address your ISP provided for you or your whole ISP has been blocked for some reason. You can try contacting them and letting them know about the problem. It’s not a very likely solution, but they might be able to help.

• 6. Try Again Later

If none of the simple solutions we’ve talked about so far work, you can always wait a while and come back later. Since most of the time, 403 Errors are caused by issues with the website in question, it’s likely someone is already working on the problem.

• 7. Contact the Website Owner

Another option is to contact the website owner directly. Look up their contact information on the website and contact them about the page in question. If there is no contact form, you can try and reach the website on their social media.