How to Fix 403 Forbidden Error | Step-by-Step Guide
How to Fix 403 Forbidden Error | Step-by-Step Guide
If you have a WordPress site, you might have been hit with the 403 “Forbidden” error ☠️ As frustrating as that can be, it’s an easy fix. Learn how to do that with this detailed tutorial. 🔔Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/Kinsta?sub_…
Did you ever try to access your WordPress site only to be hit by some message telling you something is “Forbidden” or that you don’t have permission to access something on your site? If so, you’ve possibly run into the 403 Forbidden error on WordPress.
The 403 Forbidden error means that your web server understands the request that your browser is making, but the server will not fulfil it. In other words, your server knows what you want to do, but it won’t let you because, for some reason, you don’t have permission.
In this video, we’ll run through what the 403 Forbidden Error is, along with the top causes and step-by-step fixes for WordPress Sites.
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0:00 How to Fix a 403 Forbidden Error on Your WordPress Site 0:53 File Permissions 3:14 .htaccess File 4:44 Deactivate and then Reactivate Your Plugins 6:41 Deactivate CDN Temporarily 7:06 Check to See If Hotlink Protection Is Misconfigured
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#403 #403error #403forbidden
Content
0.19 -> - Hey there, I'm Mike.
1.22 -> And today, we'll be going over
2.46 -> how you can fix a 403 Forbidden Error
5.16 -> on your WordPress site.
6.45 -> (upbeat music)
12 -> Did you just try to
access your WordPress site
14.03 -> only to be hit by some message telling you
16.05 -> something is forbidden or
that you don't have permission
18.96 -> to access something on your site?
20.89 -> If so, you've likely run
into the 403 Forbidden Error
24.4 -> on your WordPress.
25.76 -> Seeing an error on your WordPress site
27.45 -> can be frustrating and deflating,
29.46 -> which is why we've created
this detailed guide
31.79 -> to help you fix the 403
Forbidden Error on WordPress
35.36 -> and get your site functioning
again as quickly as possible.
38.47 -> But before we get too far,
39.8 -> I wanna let you know
that there'll be links
41.43 -> to more resources in the
video description below.
43.93 -> And remember, subscribe and ring that bell
46.07 -> to get notifications for
future helpful content.
48.83 -> All right, I know you
wanna get your site fixed,
50.98 -> so let's get started.
52.6 -> First, file permissions.
54.84 -> Each folder and file on
your WordPress site server
57.23 -> has its own unique file permissions
58.96 -> that control who can read
or see the data in the file
62.4 -> or view the contents of a folder,
64.14 -> who could write, modify the file,
66.4 -> add or delete files inside a folder,
68.78 -> or execute, run the file
and/or execute it as a script,
72.52 -> access a folder and perform
functions and commands.
75.04 -> These permissions are indicated
by a three-digit number
77.82 -> with each digit indicating
the level of permission
80.35 -> for each of the three
categories I mentioned.
82.66 -> Normally, these permissions just work
84.55 -> for your WordPress site.
85.78 -> However, if something gets messed up
87.53 -> with the file permissions
at your WordPress site,
89.63 -> it can cause the 403 Forbidden Error.
91.71 -> To view and modify your
site's file permissions,
94.17 -> you'll need to connect via FTP or SFTP.
97.19 -> For the screenshot
you'll see in this video,
99.02 -> we'll be using the free
FileZilla FTP program.
102.76 -> The basic principles will apply
to any FTP program though.
105.96 -> You'll just need to apply
them in a different interface.
109.37 -> Once you're connected to your server,
110.93 -> you can view a file or
folder's permissions
113.13 -> by right-clicking on it.
114.4 -> Of course, manually
checking the permissions
116.52 -> for each file or folder
isn't really an option.
119.26 -> Instead, you can automatically
apply file permissions
121.93 -> to all the files or
folders inside of a folder.
125.19 -> According to the WordPress codex,
127.07 -> the ideal file permissions
for WordPress are:
129.64 -> Files 644 or 640,
132.6 -> Directories 755 or 750.
135.81 -> One exception is that
your wp-config.php file
139.71 -> should be 440 or 400.
142.71 -> To set these permissions,
143.87 -> right-click on the folder that
contains your WordPress site.
146.91 -> The folder name is public at Kinsta,
149.52 -> then choose file attributes.
151.42 -> Enter 755 or 750 in the numeric value box,
156.06 -> then choose recurse into sub-directories
159.12 -> and apply to directories only.
161.8 -> Once you've applied the correct
permissions for directories,
164.37 -> you repeat the process for files,
166.24 -> only this time enter 644 or
640 in the numeric value box.
172.07 -> Choose recurse into sub-directories.
174.63 -> Choose apply to files only.
177.17 -> To finish the process,
178.37 -> you just need to manually
adjust the permissions
180.68 -> for your wp-config.php file
to make them 440 or 400.
186.93 -> If the file permission issues
188.19 -> were causing the 403 Forbidden Error,
190.53 -> your site should now start working again.
193 -> Second, .htaccess file.
196.05 -> Kinsta uses the NGINX web server,
198.42 -> so this potential issue doesn't apply
200.3 -> if you're hosting your site at Kinsta
201.82 -> because Kinsta sites do
not have an htaccess file.
205.66 -> However, if you're hosting elsewhere
207.79 -> and your host uses the Apache web server,
210.24 -> one common cause of
the 403 Forbidden Error
213.24 -> is a problem in your site's htaccess file.
216.07 -> The htaccess file is a
basic configuration file
218.98 -> used by the Apache web server.
221.13 -> You can use it to set up redirects,
222.98 -> restrict access to all
or some of your site,
225.75 -> amongst other functions.
226.94 -> Because it's so powerful,
228.54 -> even a little mistake
can cause a big issue
231.1 -> like the 403 Forbidden Error.
233.33 -> Rather than trying to troubleshoot
234.77 -> the htaccess file itself,
236.66 -> a simpler solution is just force WordPress
239.34 -> to generate a new clean htaccess file.
242.61 -> To do that, connect to
your server via FTP.
246.61 -> Find the htaccess file
in your root folder.
249.36 -> Download a copy of the
file to your computer.
251.53 -> It's always a good idea to
have a backup just in case.
254.5 -> Delete the htaccess file from your server
256.63 -> after you have a safe backup
copy on your local computer.
260.05 -> Now you should be able to
access your WordPress site
262.47 -> if your htaccess file was the issue.
264.91 -> To force WordPress to generate
a new clean htaccess file,
268.82 -> go to settings, then permalinks
in your WordPress dashboard.
272.25 -> Click save changes at
the bottom of the page.
275.23 -> You don't have to make any changes.
277.03 -> Just click the button.
278.55 -> And that's it.
279.383 -> WordPress will now generate
a new htaccess file for you.
282.72 -> Third, deactivate and then
reactivate your plugins.
286.49 -> If neither your site's file permissions
288.45 -> or htaccess files are the problems,
291.35 -> the next place to look is your plugins.
293.83 -> It could be a bug in the plugin
295.42 -> or a compatibility issue
between different plugins.
298.28 -> No matter what the issue is,
299.53 -> the easiest way to find
the problematic plugin
302.11 -> is with a little trial and error.
303.57 -> Specifically, you'll need to
deactivate all of your plugins
306.8 -> and then reactivate them one by one
308.89 -> until you find the culprit.
310.63 -> If you can still access
your WordPress dashboard,
313.24 -> you can perform this process
from the normal plugins area.
315.86 -> If you cannot access
your WordPress dashboard,
318.58 -> you'll instead need to connect
to your WordPress site server
321.74 -> via FTP or SFTP.
324.21 -> Once you've connected
to your server via FTP,
327.16 -> browse to the wp-content folder.
329.61 -> Find the plugins folder
inside the wp-content folder,
333.24 -> right-click on the plugins
folder and choose rename.
336.64 -> Change the name of the folder.
338.3 -> You can name it anything different,
339.64 -> but we recommend something
like plugins-disabled
342.73 -> to make it easy to remember.
344.76 -> By renaming the folder,
345.85 -> you've effectively disabled
all the plugins on your site.
348.93 -> Now try accessing your site again.
351.13 -> If your site is working, you
know that one of your plugins
353.69 -> is causing the 403 Forbidden Error.
356.12 -> To find the culprit, reactivate
your plugins one by one
358.94 -> until you find which plugin
is causing the issue.
361.79 -> After changing the filename
of the plugins folder,
364.32 -> you should see a number of errors
365.79 -> that say the plugin file does not exist
367.91 -> when you go to the
plugins area on your site.
370.35 -> To fix this issue
371.21 -> and regain the ability
to manage your plugins,
373.58 -> use your FTP program to
change the name of the folder
376.13 -> back to plugins.
377.94 -> So if you've renamed
it to plugins-disabled,
380.89 -> just change it back to plugins.
382.56 -> Once you do that,
383.393 -> you'll see the full list
of all your plugins again,
386.03 -> only now there'll be deactivated.
388.27 -> Use the activate button to
reactivate them one by one.
391.31 -> Once you find the plugin
that's causing the issue,
393.56 -> you can either reach out to
the plugins developer for help
396.35 -> or choose an alternate plugin
397.77 -> that accomplishes the same thing.
399.81 -> Fourth, deactivate CDN temporarily.
403.53 -> If you're getting 403 Forbidden
Errors on your assets,
406.42 -> like images, JavaScript, CSS,
408.88 -> it could be a problem with
your content delivery network.
411.99 -> In this case, we recommend
temporarily disabling your CDN
414.98 -> and then checking your
site to see if it works.
417.39 -> If you're a Kinsta client,
418.82 -> click into your site
and then on the CDN tab.
422.22 -> Click the disable CDN button.
424.84 -> Fifth, check to see
426.4 -> if the hotlink protection
is misconfigured.
429.13 -> Hotlinking is when someone
adds an image to their site,
431.72 -> but the hosted link is still
pointed to someone else's site.
435.13 -> To prevent this,
435.963 -> some will set up what is
called hotlink protection
438.67 -> with their WordPress host or CDN provider.
441.57 -> When hotlink protection is enabled,
443.35 -> it will typically return
a 403 Forbidden Error.
446.24 -> This is normal.
447.18 -> However, if you're seeing
a 403 Forbidden Error
449.77 -> on something you shouldn't be,
451.27 -> check to make sure your hotlink protection
453.2 -> is configured properly.
454.82 -> Remember to follow these steps
456.08 -> to help you fix your 403 Forbidden Error:
458.89 -> file permissions,
460.41 -> htaccess file,
462.33 -> plugin issues,
463.75 -> CDN issues,
465.41 -> hotlink protection.
466.73 -> If you've tried these solutions
468.04 -> and you're still having issues,
469.45 -> then we recommend reaching
out to your hosting provider.
472.15 -> They can most likely help
you pinpoint the issue
474.35 -> and get you back up and running.
476.26 -> If you're a Kinsta client,
477.66 -> open up a support ticket with our team.
479.6 -> We are available 24/7.
483.2 -> Kinsta's WordPress hosting
484.46 -> can speed up your website by up to 200%
487.08 -> and you'll get 24/7 support
488.92 -> from our expert WordPress engineers.
491.36 -> Let us show you the Kinsta difference.
493.26 -> Try a free demo of our MyKinsta dashboard
495.87 -> at demo.kinsta.com.
498.3 -> Thank you for watching.
499.33 -> And don't forget to subscribe
to get notifications
501.72 -> for the remaining videos in this series.
503.51 -> And of course, other
tutorials, explainers,
