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ServerPilot

Fix "403 Forbidden" errors

The error “403 Forbidden” comes from the Apache web server.

Check the app’s Apache error log for details about the cause of the error.

Causes of 403 Forbidden

A 403 Forbidden error can be caused by the following situations.

  • A directory was requested but the directory does not have an index.html, index.htm, or index.php file.
  • The permissions on the requested file or directory do not allow it to be read by Apache.
  • The permissions on one of the directories in the path have been incorrectly customized and are preventing Apache from accessing anything contained below that directory.

If you also see the following message at the bottom of the “403 Forbidden” error page:

Server unable to read htaccess file, denying access to be safe

The problem is likely due to one of the following.

  • The permissions on the app’s .htaccess file don’t allow it to be read by Apache.
  • The permissions on the app’s public/ directory don’t allow Apache to see if there is a .htaccess file.