Reason for 403 Error:
- The hosts file under "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc" is misconfigured.
- Your Antivirus or Firewall is causing issues.
- Error 403 can occur when you are making use of download assistant plugins or software with Windows Edge or other browsers.
- It could be so that the Windows Update Site Control is missing or is corrupt on your device.
You can get a 403 error, when you try to access the Windows 10/11/Server Software Update.
The 403 error can be of the below types.
Reasons:
How to fix Error 403
- Ad-blocker extension or plugins.
- Thirdy party antivirus software
- Web accelerators, Download assistants, or Security software.
Type %WinDir%\System32\Drivers\Etc in Run and open the location.
Rename the old hosts file to hosts_old
- Create a new file named hosts
- Copy the below text based on your Operating System type and save.
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Based on the reason for the error listed above, we can fix can be one of the following.
Disable Add-ons that can cause issues:
We can fix the Unauthorized/Access Denied/Forbidden errors by disabling third-party software like,
Reset the hosts file:
The host is a text file containing a map of hostnames and IP addresses. If this file is not configured correctly you may have problems accessing the internet.
Windows 11:
Windows 10:
Try different Internet Network
You can try the updates by connecting to a different internet connection.
Facing issues? Have Questions? Post them here! I am happy to answer!
Rakesh (He/Him) has over 14+ years of experience in Web and Application development. He is the author of insightful How-To articles for Code2care.
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