Fix “403 Forbidden” on your website (file permissions and common causes)

20.02.2026 00:57
- FTP & File Management
- file management
- permissions
- troubleshooting

The HTTP error 403 Forbidden means the web server received your request, but refuses to serve the page. On GARMTECH hosting this is most often caused by incorrect file/folder permissions, wrong document root, or a blocking rule in .htaccess.

Step 1 – Confirm the correct document root

Log in to Plesk.
Open Websites & Domains → your domain → Hosting Settings.
Check Document root. For most websites it should be httpdocs.
Make sure your website files are actually inside /httpdocs.

Step 2 – Check for an index file

If the folder has no index file, the server may return 403 instead of listing directory contents.

Make sure index.php or index.html exists in the document root.

Step 3 – Fix file and folder permissions

Folders: usually 755
Files: usually 644
Avoid: 777 (insecure and may be blocked by security rules)

In Plesk File Manager you can select a file/folder and use Change Permissions.

Step 4 – Test .htaccess rules

In /httpdocs, temporarily rename .htaccess to .htaccess.disabled.
Reload the website. If 403 disappears, the issue is in the rules (common after migrations or CMS updates).
Restore the file name after testing and fix the rule that blocks access.

Step 5 – Check logs

If 403 still happens, open the domain’s error_log in Plesk to see the exact reason.

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