403 error when trying to edit any WordPress settings & page

  • markgillroy

    (@markgillroy)


    2 years, 3 months ago

    Hi

    I am getting a 403 error when trying to edit any my site (except plugins settings)

    I have seen articles saying I should delete the .htaccess file, but I have not got one. I have also read if I save permalink settings, WP will generate a new .htaccess file but I cannot access these settings because I am getting a 403 error.

    I would appreciate it if anyone gives me their ideas on how to resolve this.

    Thanks a lot,
    Mark

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Niko

    (@nheeko)

    2 years, 3 months ago

    Hi @markgillroy,

    If you are unable to find the ‘.htaccess’ file on your site, and you can’t access the permalink settings, you may check this article to manually create the said file.

    Further, if you get the same issue after creating the htaccess file, you can check this article for more steps.

    Best regards,
    Niko

    Thread Starter markgillroy

    (@markgillroy)

    2 years, 3 months ago

    Hi @nheeko,

    Thank you very much for your response.

    I have created a new .htaccess file, checked plugins and ensured all file permissions are 755 for folders and 644 for files.

    The dashboard looked like this – https://imgur.com/a/8f3vbij – on all of the sites I am hosting on the server (4 test sites). I resolved the issues with viewing the dashboard so the homepage now loads correctly but I still have the issue with editing the site. I experience the same issue with the dashboard and 403 errors whenever I create a new installation of WP.

    Have you got any other ideas about how I can fix this? If not, I’ll contact my hosting provider but I doubt they will be much help as it is unmanaged.

    Thanks,
    Mark

    • This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by markgillroy.
    Moderator t-p

    (@t-p)

    2 years, 3 months ago

    403 forbidden means that your browser isn’t able to load the scripts up because your server isn’t allowing it. This is a hard one to solve. Because anything could be blocking the server. Hence the error log may give you clue.

    – Most likely this is a server permissions/ownership issue. If its a permission issue, it may tell you which file has incorrect permissions, so ask your host what’s going on. If you are using cPanel, the following tutorial has more information about the error log in cPane: How to view cPanel Error logs

    If the problem is file permissions, you can follow the steps in the below article to learn how to modify your file permissions: How to change file permissions within cPanel https://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_File_Permissions

    – Another possible cause could be a corrupt .htaccess file. Also check your .htaccess files for anything strange.

    make sure your server settings are not overriding the .htaccess file.

    Another possible cause could be changes to the server settings (accidental or otherwise). Check with your hosting provider.

    Also see this help guide https://www.wpbeginner.com/common-wordpress-errors-and-how-to-fix-them#403forbidden

    Thread Starter markgillroy

    (@markgillroy)

    2 years, 3 months ago

    Hi @t-p – thanks for your response.

    I’ve already tried the steps in the articles you mentioned and the CPanel log is just full of “file not found”.

    I’ll download all of the content and get my hosting provider to reset the account, I hope this is a one-off thing.

    Thanks again for your time & help
    Mark

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

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