HTTP Error 403 is caused by a web server believing that data sent by the client is correct, but also that the actual access to the data is forbidden or disallowed by the authorizer.

So it’s basically telling you that the page is there, but you’re not permitted to view it.

The thing which confuses many web users is that the same page can be accessible via different means. For example, you might be able to view it when clicking a link in another page. But if you try to bookmark the destination page itself, you’ll be returned with a 403 error when you later try to return to it. Why is this?

Well, by far the most common reason is a configuration setting known as directory browsing.

Directory browsing is where we enter the folder rather than the file itself, as a means of navigating the website.

Take for example, the following address:

http://www.mytestsite.com/media

This URL could potentially return a 403 error. But with the following URL:

http://www.mytestsite.com/media/index.html

This could display the actual page without an error.

Now, of course, when we access folders as shown in the first example, it’s the nature of the web server to look for a page title “Index” to return to the browser. But if directory browsing is turned off, the server will automatically throw a Forbidden Error, even if the page itself is entirely viewable when clicked by a standard A HREF link!

If every page is returning a Forbidden Error, directory browsing or not, you would normally expect a 401 to be thrown. The 401 error represents your more typical “Not authorized” message.

However, some browsers are still known to translate the 401 diagnosis and display a 403 instead. It matters little. If you’re having trouble accessing every page in the site, it’s usually a sign that you have a blanket authentication error. It could be that you were supposed to enter a username or password to access the page. It could also be a problem with a scripting language that’s running on the site.

A more obscure reason is simply that the website has changed web server and is now being hosted elsewhere. If the host has “cancelled” the directories to the old site, it may still take a little time before the client is redirected to the new location. During this time window, a 403 error is likely to be displayed.

There are several free online utilities that will run a check of a website’s authentication, providing it uses HTTP Basic Authentication. These will return information on the access layers, and will ultimately inform you whether the problem lies with the web server and host.

If you’re having trouble with your own website, it’s a good idea to contact your host and query whether directory browsing is allowed. Some hosts are extremely picky and disable direct page accessing altogether. This effectively means that every page must be accessed from another hyperlink. You can’t simply type in the URL without receiving an error, usually the 403 Forbidden Access that we’ve discussed.

As far as HTTP errors go, 403 is by far one of the most irritating to receive. It’s extremely ambiguous and it could be returned for one in a number of reasons. A little troubleshooting should help your cause, as we’ve discussed in this article, but contacting the host or webmaster may be necessary in a large number of cases.

Get a Free Online Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)