The 403 Forbidden error means that your browser thinks that you do not have permission to view the website or internet resource at the address you specified. Coming across this can come as a surprise, unless you’re a hacker.
Try the following simple quick fixes to resolve this error.
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Quick fix:
- Refresh: Press Ctrl-F5 or click the refresh button. Usually, an error like this is just a minor glitch that occurs when you refresh the page.
- Try later: Server connectivity issues can be a longstanding glitch. If access to the site is low priority, wait an hour or two (or even a day) and try again. If the problem is related to the ISP, the ISP probably already knows and will solve it soon. If waiting is not an option, read on.
- The URL is mistyped: Make sure that the URL is 100% correct and doesn’t end with an up slash, but with another resource extension like “.html” or “.com”. This error can happen when you have entered an address for a resource that exists (so you won’t get a 404) but normal users won’t have access. For example, you might be trying to access a directory of pages rather than a single page.
- Try a different device or connection: Attempting to access the same website from another device, but on the same network where you get the first error. If you get the error again, try switching to a different internet connection to see if the problem is with your network hardware or your internet connection.
- Reset everything: If the 403 Forbidden error on Google Chrome occurs only on a specific internet connection, turn it off router or modem, wait a few seconds and then turn everything back on. Hopefully by restarting your connection the problem will resolve itself.
- You are logged out: The 403 error can happen because you’re trying to access a URL from your browsing history since you logged in to the site before, but that login session timed out. Return to the login page for the site, log in, and then navigate to that resource again.
Try Using Incognito Mode (or Clear Cookies)
The 403 Forbidden error on Google Chrome may be related to information your browser has stored locally about you. If that information is corrupted or incorrect, you may be denied access. By using Chrome’s incognito mode, you temporarily deny access to that information from the server.
If locally stored information was the problem, the site should work now. If it doesn’t work, you might want clear your browser’s cache.
Note: If you clear your cookies and website data, you will have to sign in to every other service you use!
- Option Setting.
- Option Clear access data.
- Test Cookies and site data.
- Option Delete data.
Could it be the site itself?
Use a site like Down Detector or Is it crashing right now? to see if there is a problem with the site.
- You can also research social media to see if users from certain regions or those using specific ISPs are experiencing 403 forbidden errors.
- It may also be worth contacting the site operator itself. Misconfigurations sometimes happen during website updates and they may not notice, especially if they are a smaller company.
- If you’re trying to access a large company’s website, you can simply send a message to their customer service department.
- If it’s a standalone site, it’s often difficult to find contact details. You will need to perform a domain owner lookup to find the contact. Most likely you can send a query to a dedicated webmaster email address.
If all else fails, call your ISP
Sometimes your entire ISP may be denied access, not just you. Remember that your ISP is just another internet user, which means that your ISP can face all the same network problems as you do.
Contact your ISP and tell them you can’t open a certain website. They will check access to the site on their end, and if there’s a configuration issue, that’s usually something they can fix shortly.
After all that troubleshooting, the next time you get a 403 Forbidden error on Google Chrome again, you’ll know exactly what to do.
