A 401 Unauthorized error means the website or server requires authentication before it will allow access to the requested page or resource.
Despite the name, a 401 error does not necessarily mean you are permanently unauthorized to access the website. In many cases, it simply means your login information is missing, incorrect, or has expired.
The good news is that most 401 errors can be resolved by signing in again or correcting an authentication problem.
What Causes a 401 Unauthorized Error?
A 401 error can occur for several reasons, including:
- Incorrect username or password
- An expired login session
- Missing authentication credentials
- Corrupted browser cookies or cached login information
- A protected page or directory
- An expired or invalid authentication token
- Improper file or directory protection settings
- WordPress security or membership plugins
- Incorrect server authentication configuration
- API authentication problems
The exact cause depends on whether you are simply visiting the website or managing the website yourself.
How to Fix a 401 Unauthorized Error
1. Make Sure You’re Logged In
If the page requires an account, verify that you are signed in.
Your previous session may have expired, especially if the website has been open in your browser for a long period of time.
Try signing out and signing back in before accessing the page again.
2. Check Your Username and Password
Make sure you entered your login credentials correctly.
Passwords are case-sensitive, so check for:
- Incorrect capitalization
- Extra spaces
- Typing mistakes
- An outdated saved password
- Autofill inserting the wrong credentials
If you cannot remember your password, use the website’s password reset option if one is available.
3. Refresh the Page
Sometimes authentication information is not transmitted properly because of a temporary browser or connection issue.
Refresh the page and try again.
If that does not work, return to the website’s homepage and navigate back to the protected page.
4. Clear Your Browser Cache and Cookies
Websites often use cookies to keep track of authenticated sessions.
If a login cookie becomes corrupted or outdated, the server may no longer recognize your session.
Try clearing the cookies and cached data associated with the website, then sign in again.
5. Try a Private or Incognito Window
Open the website in a private or incognito browser window.
If the page works there, the problem may be related to cached data, cookies, or an existing login session in your regular browser.
6. Try Another Browser or Device
Try accessing the website from another browser, computer, phone, or tablet.
If the page works on another device, the problem is likely related to your original browser or saved authentication information.
7. Contact the Website Owner
If you believe you should have access to the page but continue receiving a 401 error, contact the website administrator.
Your account may need to be activated, your permissions may need to be updated, or the protected resource may require different credentials.
What If You Own the Website?
If visitors are receiving unexpected 401 errors on your website, there may be a server-side authentication or configuration problem.
Website owners should investigate areas such as:
- Password-protected directories
- HTTP authentication settings
.htaccessrules- Apache or Nginx configuration
- WordPress security plugins
- Membership or user-role settings
- Authentication cookies
- API keys and access tokens
- Application authentication systems
- File and directory permissions
Checking your website and web server logs can often reveal which authentication request is failing.
Check Password-Protected Directories
Hosting control panels and web servers can be configured to password-protect specific directories.
If authentication was accidentally enabled for a public directory, visitors may receive a 401 error when attempting to access the website.
Review any directory protection settings and confirm that only the intended areas of the website require authentication.
Check WordPress Plugins
If your website uses WordPress, security, membership, maintenance, or access-control plugins can sometimes cause unexpected 401 errors.
If the problem began after installing or updating a plugin, temporarily disabling the affected plugin may help identify the cause.
You should also review user roles and permissions if the error occurs only for certain WordPress users.
Check API Authentication
A 401 error is also common when working with APIs.
API requests may return a 401 response when:
- An API key is missing
- A token has expired
- A token is invalid
- Authentication headers are formatted incorrectly
- The credentials belong to the wrong account
- Access to the requested resource has not been granted
If you are troubleshooting an API, verify the credentials and authentication requirements provided by the API provider.
What’s the Difference Between a 401 and 403 Error?
A 401 Unauthorized error normally means authentication is required or the supplied credentials were not accepted.
A 403 Forbidden error generally means the server understood the request but is refusing access to the resource.
In simple terms:
401: You may need to prove who you are.
403: The server is not allowing you to access the resource even though it understands the request.
Still Getting a 401 Error?
If you continue receiving a 401 Unauthorized error after trying the troubleshooting steps above, contact the website owner or hosting provider.
When requesting assistance, include:
- The website address
- The page producing the error
- Whether the error occurs before or after logging in
- The approximate time the error occurred
- Any recent changes to the website
- A screenshot of the error, if available
These details can make troubleshooting much faster.
Need Help With Your Charter Hosting Website?
If your website is hosted with Charter Hosting and you are experiencing unexpected 401 errors, our support team can help investigate the authentication or server configuration causing the problem.
Sign in to the
Charter Hosting Client Area
and
open a support ticket
with the affected domain name and a description of the issue.
We’ll help determine whether the 401 error is coming from your website, WordPress installation, authentication settings, application, or hosting configuration.
