How To Solve 403 Forbidden Error in WordPress

As a premium server management company offering server support services to businesses globally, iDatam often receives queries from clients about resolving the WordPress 403 forbidden error. This article details the common causes and solutions to fix the 403 forbidden errors in WordPress websites.

What You'll Learn

What is WordPress 403 Forbidden Error?

The WordPress 403 forbidden error is an issue encountered by users when they try to access their WordPress site. It is an HTTP status code displayed by the browser when the WordPress web server does not allow access to the requested page or data. Before discussing solutions, it's important to understand the reasons behind this issue.

Common Causes for WordPress 403 Forbidden Error

1. Incorrect File Permissions

2. Poorly Configured Security Plugins

3. Corrupt .htaccess File

4. Hotlink Protection & CDN Issues

Sometimes, your web host may accidentally change server settings, causing the WordPress 403 Forbidden Error.

How to Solve 403 Forbidden Error in WordPress?

Before starting, ensure to take a complete backup of your WordPress site data.

1. Incorrect File Permissions

   Incorrect file permissions can cause the web server to return a 403 forbidden error. Each file and folder on your WordPress server has permissions that establish who can access them. To resolve this, correct the file permissions via FTP.

   File permissions are indicated by a three-digit number, defining permissions for the user, group, and others.

   • 7: Full read, write, and execute access

   • 6: Read and write access

   • 5: Read and execute access

   • 4: Read-only access

   • 0: No access

   For example, if the folder permission code is 764:

   • User: Read, write, execute (7)

   • Group: Read, write (6)

   • Others: Read (4)

   Steps to Change Directory Permission:

   1. Connect to your WordPress site via FTP.

   2. Navigate to the root folder.

   3. Right-click and select "File permissions".

   4. Change the numeric value to 744 or 755.

   5. Check the "Recurse into subdirectories" box.

   6. Select "Apply to directories only".

   sh Copy

   
   # Connect to your WordPress website via FTP
   # Navigate to the root folder
   # Change directory permissions
   chmod -R 755 /path/to/your/wordpress/root/
                                       

   Steps to Change File Permission:

   1. Connect to your WordPress site via FTP.

   2. Navigate to the file location.

   3. Right-click and select "File permissions".

   4. Change the numeric value to 644 or 640.

   5. Check the "Recurse into subdirectories" box.

   6. Select "Apply to files only".

   sh Copy

   
   # Connect to your WordPress website via FTP
   # Navigate to the file location
   # Change file permissions
   find /path/to/your/wordpress/root/ - type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
                                       

2. Poorly Configured Security Plugins

   Deactivate all recently installed plugins to check if the error is resolved. If the website works fine, reactivate each plugin one by one to identify the problematic one. Replace it with a similar plugin that functions correctly.

   php Copy

   
   // To deactivate all plugins, add the following line to your wp-config.php
   define('WP_DEBUG', true);
                                       

3. Corrupt .htaccess File

   A corrupt .htaccess file can cause the 403 forbidden error. Download the .htaccess file using an FTP manager and delete the original copy from the server. If this resolves the error, re-upload a clean .htaccess file.

   sh Copy

   
   # Download and remove the .htaccess file
   mv /path/to/your/wordpress/root/.htaccess /path/to/your/wordpress/root/.htaccess.bak
                                       

   If the issue persists, other underlying causes may be present.

4. CDN Issues & Hotlink Protection

   Deactivate your CDN temporarily to see if it resolves the error. Hotlink protection can also cause the 403 forbidden error. Disable hotlink protection with your CDN provider or web host if enabled.

Conclusion

This article covers the most common causes of the WordPress 403 forbidden error and the methods to fix it. Incorrect file permissions and poorly configured security plugins are common reasons for this error.

WordPress 403 forbidden error does not arise due to poor server configuration. If you're finding it challenging to resolve the issue, you can seek help from experts at iDatam.