Troubleshooting a 403 Error: 4 Steps to Resolve the Issue

If you’re ever in a similar situation and unable to access your own website on your laptop, don’t worry. Here are a few steps to try before you contact your web host.

1.Flush the DNS: Every time you access a website or a domain, your computer stores something called DNS (Domain Name System) records. These records can get corrupted over time. To make sure this isn’t the problem, open the command prompt and type ‘ipconfig /flushdns’. This will clear the DNS data from your laptop and make sure it’s accessing the latest DNS records from your web host.

2.Clear Your Browser & WP Engine Cache: Every time you access a website on a particular browser, the browser stores certain information about the website. This cached information can eventually cause issues like 403 errors if it’s not cleared. To make sure this isn’t causing the issue, open each browser and delete your browser history, cookies, and cache. Additionally, if you’re using WP Engine hosting, you should also clear the cache on WP Engine itself.

3.Check File Permissions: File and folder permissions control who can access your website and how. Your web host will usually set up a specific set of file permissions that your website needs to work properly. However, they can get corrupted over time and create issues like the 403 error. To make sure you have the correct permissions, use the command prompt to run an integrity check.

4.Check IP Blocks: If you’re still unable to access your website, it’s possible that your web host might have blocked your IP address. To make sure this isn’t the issue, contact your web host and ask them to confirm that your IP isn’t blocked.

If all else fails, a quick Google search or a few visits to webmaster forums should provide you with some ideas and advice to help you resolve the issue. With a bit of patience and perseverance, you should be able to access your website from your laptop in no time!