WordPress is a great content management system, whether you’re in South Africa or any other part of the world. It gives you the freedom to create a website or blog exactly how you want it. However, sometimes things can go wrong — and one of the most frustrating errors you may encounter is the 403 forbidden error.

If you’ve ever encountered this problem, you know how annoying it can be. You can see the website’s front page, but as soon as you try to go to any other page, you get the error message.

Luckily, there are a few simple ways to fix this problem and get your WordPress site back up and running. In this article, you’ll learn what the 403 forbidden error is and how to fix it.

What Is a 403 Forbidden Error in WordPress?

The 403 forbidden error is one of the many errors that can occur while using WordPress. This particular error means that you are trying to access a resource that you do not have permission to access.

It can occur when you are trying to access a WordPress page, post, or image. It can also occur when you are trying to access a file or folder on the server.

The 403 forbidden error WordPress can be caused by many different things. In most cases, it is caused by a misconfiguration of your WordPress site, such as incorrect file permissions. It can also be caused by a plugin or theme that is causing an issue.

It may also be caused by an issue with your web server. If you are hosted on WordPress.com, then you will need to contact their support team. If you are hosted on a self-hosted WordPress site, then you will need to contact your web host for assistance.

How To Fix a 403 Forbidden Error

A 403 forbidden error WordPress can be caused by several factors. Here are some ways to troubleshoot it:

If Caused by a Plugin

If you’re seeing a 403 forbidden error when trying to access your WordPress site, it’s possible that this is caused by a plugin.

To check if this is the case, first try accessing your site with the default WordPress theme enabled. If you’re able to access your site without any problems, then it’s likely that the issue is being caused by a plugin.

You can narrow down which plugin is causing the problem by disabling all plugins and then enabling them one by one until you find the plugin that’s causing the 403 error.

Once you’ve found the plugin that’s causing the problem, you can either try to find an updated version of the plugin or contact the plugin developer for further assistance.

If Caused by a Corrupt .htaccess File

Another factor that can cause a 403 forbidden error is a corrupt .htaccess file. The WordPress .htaccess file is located in the root directory of your WordPress site.

If you have SSH or FTP access to your server, you can connect and simply delete the .htaccess file. Once you delete the file, WordPress will automatically generate a new one for you.

If you don’t want to delete the file, you can try renaming the file to something like .htaccess_old. This will deactivate the file without deleting it.

As such, make sure that you take a backup of your .htaccess file before making any changes to it.

If Caused by a File Permissions Issue

If you think the error is caused by incorrect file permissions, then the first thing you need to do is connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client. Once connected, go to the /wp-content/ directory and check the permissions of the files and folders inside it.

All files should have a permission of 644 and all folders should have a permission of 755. If any of them are set differently, then you will need to change them to these numbers. You can do this by right-clicking on the file/folder and then selecting the “Change Permissions” option.

If you are still seeing the 403 forbidden error after changing the file permissions, then it is likely that it’s caused by another problem.

What To Do To Prevent a 403 Forbidden Error

To prevent this type of error from occurring, it is important that you take measures to ensure that your website is secure. One way to do this is by keeping all of your WordPress files up to date. You should also have a reliable backup system in place so that you can restore your website if something does go wrong.

Another way to prevent 403 forbidden errors is by using a security plugin like Wordfence. This will help to secure your site and keep unwanted visitors out. This way, you can avoid having to deal with these types of errors in the future.

Expert Website Maintenance Team for Your WordPress Site

Maintaining a WordPress site can be challenging, especially if you’re not a developer or don’t have a lot of experience with website administration. Even with the ease of use that WordPress offers, there are still occasional issues that can arise, such as the 403 forbidden error.

To prevent further headaches, you can turn to Launch Digital for expert WordPress website maintenance and website design services. Our team will take care of all the website maintenance and updates for you so that you can focus on running your business in Johannesburg or any part of South Africa. View our care plans on our website today.