Troubleshooting Common Website Errors (500, 403, 404)
Seeing an error page instead of your website can be alarming, but most of the common ones have a small number of usual causes. This guide covers the three you'll run into most often: 500 Internal Server Error, 403 For...
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Seeing an error page instead of your website can be alarming, but most of the common ones have a small number of usual causes. This guide covers the three you'll run into most often: 500 Internal Server Error, 403 Forbidden, and 404 Not Found.
500 Internal Server Error
A 500 error means the server hit a problem processing the request, without saying exactly what. Common causes:
- A corrupted or misconfigured .htaccess file – rename or temporarily remove your .htaccess file (via File Manager or FTP) and reload the site; if the error disappears, the .htaccess file is the cause and needs to be fixed or regenerated.
- Incorrect file permissions – PHP files typically need 644 and directories 755; permissions that are too open or too restrictive can both trigger this error.
- A PHP error or incompatible PHP version – check your error logs (cPanel: Metrics > Errors) for the specific PHP error, and confirm your application supports the PHP version currently selected (see How to Change Your PHP Version).
- A plugin, theme or script conflict – on CMS platforms like WordPress, temporarily disabling recently added or updated plugins/themes (by renaming their folder via File Manager if you can't reach the admin panel) will confirm whether one of them is the cause.
- Resource limits – on shared hosting, a script that uses too much memory or CPU can be stopped, which shows as a 500 error; check your hosting plan's resource usage in cPanel.
403 Forbidden
A 403 error means the server understood the request but is refusing to allow it. Common causes:
- Incorrect file or folder permissions – folders usually need 755 and files 644; a directory set to 700 or similar can block normal access.
- Missing index file – if a folder has no index.html/index.php and directory listing is disabled, visiting that folder directly can return 403.
- .htaccess rules blocking access – deny rules, IP blocks, or hotlink protection rules in .htaccess can return 403 for visitors they weren't meant to affect; review or temporarily rename .htaccess to test.
- A security tool blocking the request – if you have SiteLock Defend or another firewall/WAF active, check whether it's flagging the specific request as suspicious.
404 Not Found
A 404 means the server couldn't find the requested page. Common causes:
- The page or file genuinely doesn't exist at that URL – check for typos, or confirm the content was actually uploaded to the expected location.
- A broken permalink structure (WordPress and similar CMSs) – re-saving your permalink settings (Settings > Permalinks in WordPress) regenerates the rewrite rules in .htaccess and often fixes this.
- DNS or propagation issues after pointing a domain to GrabbyHost – if the whole site 404s right after a domain move, give DNS a little more time to propagate.
- A broken link or redirect pointing to a URL that no longer exists.
General Troubleshooting Steps
- Check cPanel's error logs (Metrics > Errors) for the specific error message — it's usually far more useful than the generic error page.
- Test with .htaccess temporarily renamed to rule it in or out as the cause.
- Check recent changes — a new plugin, theme, code deployment or permission change is the most common trigger.
- If you're stuck, open a support ticket with the exact URL and error, and roughly when it started — that context helps us find the cause faster.
Related Articles
- How to Upload Website Files (File Manager & FTP)
- How to Change Your PHP Version
- How to Force HTTPS on Your Website
- Getting Started with cPanel
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