Apache web server is one of the most popular and widely used opensource web servers , especially in the web hosting platforms.
Be that as it may, you may get a “Forbidden – You don’t have permission to access / on this server” error on your browser after setting up your website. It’s quite a common error and users have experienced it while testing their site. So what it this error?
Forbidden Error
It is also referred to as 403 Forbidden error, Apache’s ‘Forbidden Error’ is an error that is displayed on a web page when you are attempting to access a website that’s restricted or forbidden.

Additionally, the error can shown in several ways on the browser as indicated below:
- HTTP Error 403 – Forbidden
- Forbidden: You don’t have permission to access [directory] on this server
- 403 Forbidden
- Access Denied You don’t have permission to access
- 403 forbidden request forbidden by administrative rules
The ‘403 Forbidden Error‘ occurs due to the following main reasons:
1. Incorrect File / Directory Permissions
This error can be triggered due to incorrect file/folder permissions on the webroot directory. If the default file permissions are not adjusted to grant users access to the website files, then chances of this error popping on a web browser are high.
2. Misconfiguration of the Apache Configuration Files
This error can also be attributed to a misconfiguration of one of the Apache configuration files. It could be an incorrect parameter that has been included or missing directives in the configuration file.
Fixing the ‘403 Forbidden Error’
If you have encountered this error, here are a few steps that you can take to remedy this.
1. Adjust file permissions & ownership of the webroot directory
Incorrect file permissions & directory ownership are known to restrict access to website files. So, firstly, be sure to assign the file permissions recursively to the webroot directory as shown. The webroot directory should always have EXECUTE permissions and the index.html
file should have READ permissions.
$ sudo chmod -R 775 /path/to/webroot/directory
Additionally, adjust the directory ownership as shown:
$ sudo chown -R user:group /path/to/webroot/directory
Where the user is the regular logged-in user and the group is www-data
or apache
.
The finally, reload or restart the Apache webserver for the changes to take effect.
$ sudo systemctl restart apache2
If this does not resolve the issue, proceed to the next step:
2. Adjust directives in Apache main configuration file
In Apache’s main configuration file /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
, ensure that you have this block of code:
<Directory /> Options FollowSymLinks AllowOverride None Require all denied </Directory> <Directory /usr/share> AllowOverride None Require all granted </Directory> <Directory /var/www/> Options Indexes FollowSymLinks AllowOverride None Require all granted </Directory>
Save and exit and thereafter, restart the Apache.
If you are running Apache on RHEL / CentOS systems, ensure that you relax access to the /var/www
directory in the /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
main Apache configuration file.
<Directory "/var/www"> AllowOverride None Require all granted </Directory>
Then save all the changes and reload Apache.
$ sudo systemctl restart apache2 Thank you for reading this article.
Was this helpful?
3 / 8
Thanks
Very Well!
I have read so many articles about the blogger lovers except this post is actually a nice article,
keep it up.
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog
and wanted to say that I have truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts.
In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very
soon!
I’ve been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
It is pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all web owners
and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a
lot more useful than ever before.
Hello, after reading this awesome article i am as well highlighted to share with colleagues.
Thanks bro!
Thanks a lot
Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
My spouse and I stumbled over here different
web page and thought I might as well check things out.
I like what I see so i am just following you.
Look forward to looking into your web page repeatedly.
Great work!
Nice work, keep up the nice work fellows.
Hello, I believe and I’m trying to find issues to improve my site!I suppose its good enough to make use of a
few of your ideas!!
Fantastic Article!
sjLdaDbBvpR
Give thanks you for piece of writing this. Truly pauperism this
I got this web site from my friend who shared with me concerning
this web page and at the moment this time I am browsing this web page and
reading very informative articles here.
delighted to glance at this blog posts which contains tons of valuable information
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post.
Thank you for supplying these details.
Amazing issues here. I’m very happy to peer your article. Thank you
a lot and I am having a look ahead to contact you. Will you please drop
me a e-mail?
Its really a nice post!
It was really informative. Your site is useful.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for composition this. Genuinely need this
I really enjoyed the standard information an individual provided.
I really enjoyed it. Its a awesome post
Thank you, I’ve just been searching for info about this subject for ages and yours is the best I have discovered till now.
You have performed a formidable activity and our whole
friends will likely be grateful to you.
Actually awesome post.
Normally I do not read article on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very compelled me to take a look at and do
so! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thanks, quite nice post.
Wonderful beat ! I would like to apprentice whilst you amend your
website, how could i subscribe for a blog site? The account aided me a applicable deal.
I just couldn’t depart your website before suggesting that I really enjoyed the standard info a person provide for your visitors? Is going to be back often in order to check up on new posts
It is going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
I am in fact glad to read this weblog posts which consists of tons of valuable facts, thanks
for providing these kinds of statistics.
Hey, It’s me Mahmud Ghazni. Recently your website caught my attention while searching for similar domain names. After entering the website, It seems that your website superb.
Hey, It’s Mahmud here. Recently your website caught my attention.
I need to thank you, since it’s really difficult to find great info like your blog.
Every weekend i used to go to see this site, because i want enjoyment
I savor, result in I found just what I was looking for.
You have ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a
great day. Bye
I just couldn’t depart your website before suggesting that I really loved the standard information a person supply to your visitors?
Is gonna be again incessantly to investigate cross-check new posts
I appreciate you sharing this blog article.Really thank you! Much obliged.
Thank you, I have recently been searching for info approximately this subject for
a while and yours is the best I’ve came upon till now.
However, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you
certain concerning the source?
Thanks very nice blog!
It’s an awesome article designed for all the internet people; they will get advantage from it I am sure.
Hi there! I just wish to give you a big thumbs up for the great info you have got right here on this post. I am coming back to your blog for more soon.
What a stuff of in-ambiguity and preserves of precious familiarity!!!
Article writing is also a excitement, if you know then you can write or else it is difficult to write.
Hello my loved one! I want to say that this post is amazing, nice written and come with approximately all vital infos. I’d like to look extra posts like this.
Really high quality content. Thanks for sharing.
I do not even know how I ended up right here, however I believed this publish used to be good. I do not realize who you might be but definitely you are going to a well-known blogger should you are not already. Cheers!
Great post. I am facing a few of these issues as well..
Say, you got a nice blog article.Really thank you! Fantastic.
Superb, what a blog it is! This blog gives valuable information to us, keep it up.
I truly appreciate this article post.
Appreciate this post. Let me try it out.
I read this piece of writing fully concerning the comparison of most recent and earlier technologies, it’s awesome article.
When someone writes an post he/she keeps the idea of a user in his/her brain that how a user can know it. Therefore that’s why this article is amazing. Thanks!