When visiting a website, you may occasionally encounter error pages instead of the content you expected. Here's what the most common ones mean and how to fix them.
400 Bad Request
The server couldn't process the request, usually due to corrupted browser data or a malformed URL.
Try: clearing your browser cache and cookies, checking the URL for typos, or trying a different browser.
401 Unauthorised
The page requires you to log in with valid credentials.
Try: double-check your username and password, or reset the credentials if you've forgotten them.
403 Forbidden
The server understands your request but is refusing to fulfil it. Authentication won't help.
Try: check file permissions (files should be 644, directories 755), make sure an index.html or index.php exists in the relevant directory, and review .htaccess for blocking rules.
404 Not Found
The server can't find the requested page.
Try: check the URL for typos and verify the page hasn't been moved or deleted. If the page was moved, add a redirect.
500 Internal Server Error
A generic server-side error.
Try: check the PHP error log (see How to View Your PHP Error Log), review recent changes to .htaccess, and temporarily rename .htaccess to see if it's the culprit.
502 Bad Gateway
The server received an invalid response from an upstream service.
Try: wait a few minutes and reload. If it persists, contact support.
503 Service Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to handle the request — usually due to maintenance or resource limits.
Try: wait and reload. If this happens frequently on your own site, review your resource usage — see Understanding Your Hosting Account Resource Limits.
504 Gateway Timeout
The server didn't receive a response from an upstream service in time, typically caused by slow scripts or database queries.
Try: optimise slow queries, increase PHP execution time, or break large operations into smaller tasks.
If you're seeing persistent errors you can't resolve, open a support ticket with the error code, the URL affected, and details of any recent changes.
