How to Fix the Pesky 403 Forbidden Error in WordPress (2024 Guide)

Hey there, WordPress user! If you‘re reading this, I‘m guessing you‘re frustrated by a 403 forbidden error message that‘s preventing you from accessing part of your WordPress site.

First off, don‘t panic! The 403 error is actually one of the most common issues in WordPress – according to a survey by WP Engine, over 40% of WordPress users have encountered a 403 error at some point. And in most cases, there are some simple fixes you can apply to get rid of it.

In this guide, I‘ll walk you through exactly what the 403 error means, the most likely reasons it‘s appearing on your WordPress site, and a detailed troubleshooting checklist you can follow to resolve it ASAP.

I‘ve personally used these same steps to fix stubborn 403 errors on my own sites and for my WordPress consulting clients. So roll up your sleeves, and let‘s banish that annoying error message together!

What Does the 403 Forbidden Error Mean in WordPress?

Technically speaking, a 403 forbidden error means your web server is working properly, but refusing to grant access to a specific resource (like a post, page, or file) that you‘re requesting. It‘s the server‘s way of saying "I hear you knocking, but you can‘t come in!"

In WordPress, a 403 error usually looks something like this in your browser:

Forbidden

You don‘t have permission to access this resource.

Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

The wording might vary a bit depending on your web server and hosting setup, but the gist is the same. You‘ll likely see this message when trying to access your WordPress login page, admin dashboard, or a specific page/post on your site.

To add to the confusion, sometimes you might see a 403 error without the usual "forbidden" language. Instead, your browser might throw a generic "access denied" or "you don‘t have authorization to view this directory or page" message.

So how common are 403 errors compared to other issues? Here‘s a quick breakdown of the most frequent HTTP status codes and errors I see in WordPress:

As you can see, while 404 "page not found" errors are the most common, 403 forbidden errors are a close second. But don‘t let that scare you – in my experience, 403 errors are often much quicker to resolve than a 500 internal server error or database connection issue.

Why Are You Seeing 403 Forbidden Errors in WordPress?

So what‘s actually causing your 403 error? Let‘s dig into the three most frequent culprits I‘ve seen:

1. A plugin conflict, especially with security plugins

One of the most common causes of 403 errors in WordPress is an overprotective security plugin. Don‘t get me wrong, I‘m a huge advocate for WordPress security best practices. But sometimes, in their zeal to keep your site safe, security plugins can accidentally lock out legitimate visitors and even block your own access.

This usually happens when the security plugin adds a restrictive .htaccess rule or blocks an IP address range. A few examples I‘ve seen:

• WordFence adding a rule that blocks wp-admin access
• All In One WP Security accidentally blocking the site owner‘s IP after too many failed logins
• Sucuri temporarily blocking access during a DDOS attack

If you recently installed or updated a security plugin before the 403 errors started, that‘s a big clue that a plugin conflict is probably the issue.

2. A corrupted or misconfigured .htaccess file

Another frequent cause of WordPress 403 errors is a problem with your site‘s .htaccess file. If you‘re not familiar, .htaccess is a special configuration file that lives on your server and controls things like redirects, permalinks, access control, and more.

Because .htaccess handles so many important WordPress settings, even a tiny mistake or piece of corrupted code in the file can break your whole site with a 403 error. A few common .htaccess issues I see:

• Incorrect "allow from" or "deny from" rules that block all traffic
• Corrupted or malformed rewrite rules after a WordPress core update
• Missing .htaccess file entirely after migrating WordPress to a new server

In general, if you‘re seeing a sitewide 403 error (rather than just on a specific page or section), there‘s a good chance your .htaccess file is the problem child.

3. Strict file permissions on key WordPress folders/files

File permissions control which users and processes have read, write, and execute access to different files and folders on your WordPress site. If the permissions on a key WordPress file are set too strictly, your web server might not be able to read the file at all, triggering a 403 error.

Some important WordPress folders that need the correct permissions to work properly:

• /wp-admin/
• /wp-content/
• /wp-includes/

And a few critical individual WordPress files:

• /wp-config.php
• /wp-blog-header.php
• /wp-load.php
• /wp-settings.php

In most cases, WordPress folders need a permission setting of 755 (drwxr-xr-x) and files need a setting of 644 (rw-r–r–). So if a theme or plugin update accidentally changes a folder to 700 or a file to 600, you‘ll likely see a 403 error until you correct the permissions.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix the 403 Forbidden Error in WordPress

Okay, now that you understand the most likely reasons you‘re staring at a 403 error, let‘s walk through how to actually fix it! I‘ll start with the highest-impact, easiest solutions first.

But first, a quick public service announcement: before you make ANY changes to your WordPress files, please please please make a full backup of your site. I know it‘s tempting to just dive in and start troubleshooting, but if something goes wrong, you‘ll be so glad you have that backup to restore from. Trust me!

With that out of the way, here‘s your step-by-step 403 error busting checklist:

Step 1: Rule out plugin problems

Since a misconfigured security or caching plugin is very often the cause of WordPress 403 errors, that‘s the first thing I always check when doing a 403 error audit.

The fastest way to test if a plugin is the issue is to temporarily deactivate ALL your plugins and see if the error disappears. Here‘s how:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard (if you can – if you‘re locked out of wp-admin entirely, skip down to the FTP method).
2. Browse to the Plugins page, and click the checkbox to select all plugins.
3. From the "Bulk Actions" dropdown, choose "Deactivate" and click "Apply."

After deactivating plugins, try accessing the URL that was previously giving you a 403 error. If it loads normally, that confirms a plugin was definitely the problem.

To figure out which plugin, reactivate them one at a time until the 403 error reappears. That will identify the offending plugin, and you can reach out to that plugin‘s support team for help (or find an alternative plugin).

If you can‘t access wp-admin due to the 403 error, you‘ll need to deactivate plugins manually via FTP instead:

1. Use your favorite FTP program to connect to your WordPress site (ask your hosting provider if you need help with FTP credentials).
2. Navigate to the /wp-content/ folder.
3. Rename the /plugins/ subfolder to something like /plugins-deactivated/. This will deactivate all plugins.
4. Check if the 403 error is resolved. If so, you can rename the /plugins/ directory back to normal, then rename each plugin subfolder inside it one-by-one to identify the problem plugin.

If deactivating plugins didn‘t help, move on to…

Step 2: Restore a clean, default .htaccess file

Remember, WordPress uses the .htaccess file to manage permalinks and redirects (among other things). So even a tiny error in that file can take down your whole site.

Fortunately, it‘s easy to test if a misbehaving .htaccess file is behind your 403 woes. You‘ll just need to access your server files via FTP or cPanel:

1. Connect to your WordPress site via FTP or cPanel‘s file manager.
2. Navigate to the root directory of your WordPress install (usually called public_html or www).
3. Look for a file named .htaccess (the dot at the beginning means it‘s a hidden file, so you may need to enable showing hidden files in your FTP client).
4. Download a copy of the .htaccess file to your computer as a backup.
5. Delete the .htaccess file from your server.
6. Try loading the page that previously gave you a 403 error.

If your site loads normally after deleting the .htaccess file, you know the previous file was causing the 403 error. But don‘t panic – WordPress can generate a clean, default .htaccess file to replace it.

To create a new .htaccess file:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin area.
2. Navigate to Settings → Permalinks.
3. Without making any changes, just click the "Save Changes" button.
4. WordPress will now create a new .htaccess file for you with the default permalink rules.

After saving your Permalinks, load your site again. Everything should be back to normal, 403 error banished!

If you previously had any custom rewrite rules or redirects in your .htaccess file (e.g. to force HTTPS or set up a staging site), you can carefully copy those rules over from the .htaccess backup file you downloaded to your new clean file.

Still seeing 403 errors? Time to break out the big guns and check your…

Step 3: Fix file permissions

In more stubborn cases, overly restrictive file permissions can be the reason your web server is throwing up 403 forbidden errors.

Some permissions 101: file permissions on WordPress servers are usually set with a 3-digit number like 644 or 755. Here‘s how that breaks down:

• The first digit sets the file owner‘s permissions
• The second digit sets permissions for the user group
• The third digit sets permissions for all other users

And each digit will be 4, 5, 6, or 7, which corresponds to:

• 4 = read only
• 5 = read and execute
• 6 = read and write
• 7 = read, write, and execute

For WordPress to work its magic, your server needs to be able to read all WordPress files, and read + execute your WordPress folders. In general, the optimal WordPress permissions are:

• All files: 644
• All folders: 755

To check and reset your WordPress file permissions via FTP:

1. Connect to your server via FTP.
2. Navigate to your WordPress root directory.
3. Right-click the folders and select "File Permissions."
4. In the numeric value field, set the folder permission to 755.
5. Check the box for "Recurse into subdirectories."
6. Select "Apply to directories only."

Repeat this process for files as well, but with 644 permissions.

After correcting any wonky file permissions, load up the page that was throwing a 403 error. If permissions were the issue, your page should now load normally!

What to Do If You Still Can‘t Fix the 403 Error

If you‘ve followed all the troubleshooting steps above and still can‘t shake your 403 error, there are a few other things to try:

Reach out to your hosting provider

If your host uses a unique server setup (like Nginx), has extra security layers in place, or has changed something on their end, they‘ll be able to spot that much faster than you can troubleshoot on your own. Some high-quality WordPress hosts I recommend are:

• WP Engine – pricey, but worth it for their server-level speed and security optimizations
• Flywheel – great option for agencies and freelancers
• SiteGround – affordable managed WordPress hosting for small sites

Roll back recent changes

If you‘re seeing a 403 error after a plugin update, theme customization, or WordPress core update, try undoing that change to see if it resolves the error.

For example, if you recently updated WordPress to version 6.1, try rolling back to 6.0 (after backing up your site, of course). If the error goes away, you know something in the new WordPress version is incompatible with your server setup.

Scan for malware

In rare cases, a WordPress malware infection could be the reason you‘re seeing 403 errors. If a hacker manages to break in and modify your WordPress files, they might accidentally trigger a 403 error in the process.

Running a malware scan with a plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri Scanner can rule out an infection as the cause. And if you do find any malicious code, those plugins can help clean it up too.

Consider hiring a pro

If you‘ve tried all the DIY tips above and are still beating your head against a wall trying to fix a 403 error, it might be time to admit you need some professional backup. Plenty of talented WordPress developers and troubleshooters would be happy to help – you can find them on freelance platforms like Upwork or in the WordPress forums.

A quick tip: when you‘re writing up your job listing or support request, include as much detail as you can about the troubleshooting you‘ve already done. That will save the developer time (and you money!) and help them pinpoint the problem faster.

Wrapping Up

The 403 forbidden error is undeniably annoying, but with the right knowledge and a little elbow grease, it‘s almost always fixable.

In this guide, you learned:

• What the 403 error actually means and how to recognize it in WordPress
• The three most common causes of WordPress 403 errors: plugin issues, .htaccess problems, and incorrect file permissions
• A detailed, step-by-step troubleshooting process to fix the error yourself
• What to do if you can‘t resolve a 403 error on your own

The most important things to remember: always start by making a complete backup of your WordPress site before attempting any fixes. And if you get stuck, don‘t hesitate to reach out to your web host or hire a WordPress pro to lend a hand.

Here‘s hoping you never have to deal with a 403 error again – but if you do, you‘re now armed with a battle plan to beat it. Happy WordPressing!