A “403 Forbidden” message is an HTTP status code that means the server understands what you asked for, but will not let you access it.
Basic meaning
The 403 code indicates that the resource exists and your request is valid, but the server is explicitly refusing to authorize access. In practice, it is the server’s way of saying “you don’t have permission to view this page or file.”
Common causes
Typical reasons include:
- Your user account or IP address lacks the required permissions or is blocked.
- File or folder permissions on the site are misconfigured, or access rules (like .htaccess or other security settings) are denying you.
How it differs from other errors
A 403 is different from:
- 401 Unauthorized, which usually means you need to log in or provide valid credentials.
- 404 Not Found, which means the resource does not exist (or the server is pretending it does not exist).
