How to fix the Web Error Code Error 403 Forbidden

Symptoms of Code 403 - Forbidden

Web error codes are also known as http status codes. There are five different classes of http status codes and they always start with the following digits, depending on what kind of error was encountered by the user. These are also the symptoms of the error that the user is experiencing. To explain further, here are the status codes.

4xx: Client Error
This error is sent back to the user when it is a client-side error. The user receives notifications of a bad request, content not found or unauthorized access to the content or something to that effect.
400 - Bad Request
401 - Unauthorized
402 - Payment Required
403 - Forbidden
404 - Not Found
405 - Method Not Allowed
406 - Not Accepted
407 - Proxy Authentication Required
408 - Request Timeout
409 - Conflict
410 - Gone
411 - Length Required
412 - Precondition Failed
413 - Request Entity Too Large
414 - Request-URI Too Long
415 - Unsupported Media Type
416 - Request Range Not Satisfied
417 - Expectation Failed

(For illustrative purposes only)

Causes of Forbidden - Error 403

4XX codes are caused by the user or settings from the user's side. The request was not understood by the server because of wrong address bar entry, incorrect syntax, unstable connection or erroneous OS.

Repair Methods

There are particular troubleshooting steps for particular Web Error codes. However, there are also generalized repair methods users can perform when faced with these kinds of errors.

If a repair method works for you, please click the upvote button to the left of the answer, this will let other users know which repair method is currently working the best.

Please note: Neither ErrorVault.com nor it's writers claim responsibility for the results of the actions taken from employing any of the repair methods listed on this page - you complete these steps at your own risk.

Method 1 - Clear Browser Cache

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When accessing a site, data gets stored in the browser cache. Sometimes, you have tried fixing a web error but the same message appears on your browser. In such cases, you need to clear your browser cache to get rid of the annoying message. Here are ways to do that in different kinds of browsers:

• On Google Chrome
• Open Chrome and click the three dots on the upper right portion of your browser
• Click More Tools and then Click Clear browsing data.
• You may choose to delete everything or just a certain browsing period.
• Check the boxes beside Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
• Finally, click Clear data.
• On Edge
• Click the ... it is the rightmost button just beneath the close button.
• Scroll down and Click Settings.
• Look for Clear browsing data, and click Choose what to clear button.
• It will give you option to choose which type of data you want to clear, just put a check mark on the items you want to include, then click Clear.
• On Mozilla
• Go to History menu and select Clear Recent History.
• You may click the Alt button if the menu bar is hidden.
• You will see a dropdown menu where you can select the period or range you want to delete, click your selection.
• You can click on Details to choose what to clear, whether it be the entire cache or other items.
• Once selected, click Clear now and then reboot the browser to let changes take effect.

Method 2 - Check the Logs

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• If you want to check log files, you may do so by first ensuring that you are logged into the web server computer as an Administrator.
• Click Start, then Settings, then click Control Panel.
• Open Administrator Tools and then double-click Internet Services Manager.
• Select the website from the list of different served sites.
• Right click the website and then point your mouse to Properties.
• Select Website tab and then click Properties. On it, you will see General Properties tab. On the bottom of the window, you may see the location of the log files generated.
• Open log files using WordPad, any text file viewer or Microsoft Word.
• Here, you should be able to analyze where you got the errors while accessing a server.

Method 3 - Check Requested URL

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• There are also times when you manually enter the URL of a site you wish to explore. If you are getting errors after doing this, check the URL you just entered on the address bar if you are indeed accessing the correct address. If not, correct the items you typed incorrectly.

Method 4 - Uninstall Recent Updates

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For Windows 7

• Search for Windows Updates on the search bar.
• Click enter when it comes up on the search results.
• Check recent updates and click Uninstall updates on recent dates when the error began happening.

For Windows 8 and Windows 10

• Press the window key and the letter X simultaneously to open Settings
• When you get to Windows settings, click Update & Security.
• Click view installed update history, then Uninstall updates.

Method 5 - Uninstall Extensions

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• Sometimes, additional Extensions may give you Web Error Codes.
• Uninstall Extensions you recently installed by going to your browser settings and then clicking More Tools.
• You will see extensions than had been installed on your browser, choose the latest addition which you suspected caused the problem you are having.

Method 6 - Check for Server Configuration

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• This troubleshooting is normally handled by the site admin. If that is you, then you need to have an understanding of Web server configurations.
• You may check which web server is running your site by using URL or domain checkers. You just need to enter the site address and analyze the results that you will get.
• You may also check for broken links by right clicking the webpage and clicking on Inspect. This should give you the code to the site on the right side. You may check each anchor text and see if the links connected to them are still live.

Method 7 - Other techniques

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• You may also check for any unwanted characters on the codes and script by Debug Application Codes and Scripts. If you don't have any idea how to do it, you may check this resource to do that.
• You may also try to Refresh website. Sometimes, the error you are getting is an old error which has not gone away and a simple refresh by clicking F5 may do the job.

Other languages:

Wie beheben Fehler 403 (Verboten) - Der Browser-Client darf eine bestimmte Datei nicht sehen. Dies kann auch zu Zeiten zurückgegeben werden, in denen der Server keine Webbesucher mehr haben möchte.
Come fissare Errore 403 (Proibito) - Il client del browser non è autorizzato a vedere un particolare file. Questo può anche essere restituito quando il server non vuole più visitatori web.
Hoe maak je Fout 403 (Verboden) - De browserclient mag een bepaald bestand niet zien. Dit kan ook worden geretourneerd op momenten dat de server geen webbezoekers meer wil.
Comment réparer Erreur 403 (Interdit) - Le client du navigateur n'est pas autorisé à voir un fichier particulier. Cela peut également être renvoyé lorsque le serveur ne souhaite plus de visiteurs Web.
어떻게 고치는 지 오류 403 (금지) - 브라우저 클라이언트는 특정 파일을 볼 수 없습니다. 이것은 또한 서버가 더 이상 웹 방문자를 원하지 않을 때 반환될 수 있습니다.
Como corrigir o Erro 403 (Proibido) - O cliente do navegador não tem permissão para ver um arquivo específico. Isso também pode ser retornado nos momentos em que o servidor não deseja mais visitantes da web.
Hur man åtgärdar Fel 403 (Förbjuden) - Webbläsarklienten får inte se en viss fil. Detta kan också returneras vid tider då servern inte vill ha fler webbbesökare.
Как исправить Ошибка 403 (Запрещенный) - Клиент браузера не может видеть определенный файл. Это также может быть возвращено в тех случаях, когда серверу больше не нужны веб-посетители.
Jak naprawić Błąd 403 (Zabroniony) - Klient przeglądarki nie może zobaczyć określonego pliku. Może to być również zwrócone w czasie, gdy serwer nie chce więcej odwiedzających witrynę.
Cómo arreglar Error 403 (Prohibido) - El cliente del navegador no puede ver un archivo en particular. Esto también se puede devolver en momentos en que el servidor no quiere más visitantes web.

About The Author: Phil Hart has been a Microsoft Community Contributor since 2010. With a current point score over 100,000, they've contributed more than 3000 answers in the Microsoft Support forums and have created almost 200 new help articles in the Technet Wiki.

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