7 Methods To Fix Access Denied on This Server

The Access Denied error message is a common error that can come up while working in alternate browsers. This error message reads something like the following:

“Access Denied, you don’t have permission to access (URL) on this server.”

It prevents you from opening some specific websites on your browser. There could be several reasons behind this error like the server being taken down, VPN access could be blocked on that server, etc. 

access denied on this server error

We know how frustrating it can be when you are not able to access some websites and can’t figure out why. Fret not, this article will give you some tips on how to fix the “Access denied on this server” issue so that you can get back to work in no time.

How To Fix Access Denied, You Don’t Have Permission To Access This Server Error In Windows 10

You can go for many solutions to recover from this annoying error. The right solution for you will depend on what caused the error in the first place. For instance, a website might have blocked you because your VPN is turned on. 

It’s hard to be sure as to what cause has led to the error in your case. So, you need to try out the solutions given below one by one until the error is resolved. Here are 7 different methods you can try out to fix the “Access Denied on this server” error:

Tip: Before you jump into the solution list, you can try installing the Opera browser. And then, run the Opera browser in VPN mode which will let you switch from one region to another.

  1. Disable Your VPN Software
  2. Forget the Website in Firefox
  3. Turn Off Your VPN Extension
  4. Disable Proxy Server in Windows 10
  5. Download a Premium VPN
  6. Clear Your Browser Data
  7. Reset the Browser

Method 1. Disable Your VPN Software

You can also be denied access to a specific server because of VPN software. Your VPN service assigns your system a different IP address. This IP address might be blocked on the server or website you are trying to access. To avoid this situation, you can disable the VPN software. Follow the steps given below to do so:

  1. Right-click on the Start button and click the Run option.
  2. In the Run utility, type in ncpa.cpl and click OK or hit the Enter key. This will open up the Control panel.
  3. Next, locate your VPN and right-click on it. Select the Disable option to disable the VPN.
  4. Open the website using your standard connection. Check if the problem is resolved or not.

Method 2. Forget The Website In Firefox

If you are facing this error for a specific website while using the Firefox browser, you can choose to clear all data for that website. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press Ctrl + H after launching the Firefox browser
  2. Right-click on the website and a context menu will open up.
  3. Click on Forget About This Site option.

Method 3. Turn Off Your VPN Extension

If you don’t use VPN software but have a VPN extension installed into your browser, that too might cause this error. VPN extensions can also assign a separate IP address that might be blocked on the server you are trying to access. Follow the steps given below to turn off your VPN extension:

Chrome:

  1. Launch the Chrome browser and click the three dots located in the top right corner. 
  2. Click on More Tools > Extensions
  3. Find the VPN extension and toggle it off.

Firefox:

  1. Open the Firefox browser and click on the menu.
  2. Click on Add-ons and Themes from the dropdown menu.
  3. Next, select the Extensions tab and look for your VPN browser extension. Once found, toggle to turn it off for the time being.

Microsoft Edge:

  1. Type in “edge://extensions/” in the address bar.
  2. Look for the VPN extension you have installed.
  3. Next, toggle the VPN extension to turn it off. It should look greyed out and disabled when it is turned off. 
turn off your vpn extension
  1. You can also choose to remove the extension by clicking on the Remove option underneath the extension’s name, beside the Details option.

Opera:

  1. Open the Opera browser and click on the Main menu (from the top-left corner)
  2. Go to Extensions. Click on Extensions.
  3. Search for your VPN extension and disable it using the toggle button. 
  4. Else, you can also click on the “X” button at the top-right corner if you are comfortable uninstalling it.

Method 4. Disable Proxy Server in Windows 10

Some users have reported that they have solved the access denied on this server issue by deselecting the “Use a proxy server” option. The proxy server option is generally for companies who need the network traffic to be filtered via a proxy. Follow the steps given below to disable Windows 10 proxy server:

  1. Press Windows + S key to open the Windows search box.
  2. Type in internet options in the search box and click on the search result that comes up.
  3. The Internet Properties window will open up, select the Connections tab from there.
go to internet properties and click on connections tab
  1. Click on the LAN settings option. This will open up the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window.
  2. Then, mark the checkbox alongside Use a proxy server for your LAN option
disable proxy server in windows 10
  1. Click on OK to apply the changes.

Method 5. Download A Premium VPN

Free VPNs generally offer a poor connection to the internet and very limited benefits. Your freeware VPN software might be the reason why you are getting the Access denied on this server error. Disabling the VPN means you won’t have the security and privacy perks any longer. 

Else, you can switch to Premium VPN software. It will surely cost you money but get rid of this error and offer several premium VPN features. Paid VPN services offer loads of IP addresses and proxy servers to switch to if you get blocked with a particular IP. Moreover, websites won’t be able to track or block such IP addresses since they aren’t public.

It could be difficult to find the right VPN for your browsing needs. Given below are some of the best VPN services in the market:

  • Avast HMA Pro VPN
  • NordVPN
  • Surfshark VPN
  • Express VPN

Once you’ve bought and installed the paid VPN service, try accessing the blocked server again to check if the error is gone.

Method 6. Clear Your Browser Data

You can also try to clear the browsing data to solve the Access Denied on this server problem. Doing this makes the browser think that you haven’t visited the specific server/website before. Here’s how you can clear the browser data:

For Chrome:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Del to open up a pop-up window from Chrome Settings to delete the browser history. Else, you can click on the three vertical dots on the top-right corner of the browser > Settings > Privacy & Security > Clear Browsing Data
clear your browser data on chrome
  1. Click on All time from the Time range drop-down menu.
  2. Mark the checkboxes for Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images.
  3. Hit the Clear Data button

Firefox:

  1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the menu button located in the upper-right corner.
  2. Click on Options or type in about: preferences in the address bar and hit the Enter key.
  3. Select the Privacy & Security tab and keep scrolling till you reach the cookies and site data area. Then, click on the Clear Data option
  4. Now, select Cookies and Site Data and Cache
clear firefox browser data to fix access denied error
  1. Next, click the Clear button and wait till the browser clears the browser data. 

Revisit the problematic server to check if the error has been resolved.

Microsoft Edge:

  1. Open the Edge browser. 
  2. Click on the menu icon located in the upper-right corner and then, select Settings. Else, simply type in edge://settings in the address bar and hit the Enter key.
  3. Select the Cookies and site permissions tab and click on Manage and delete cookies and site data button located at the top.
  4. Click on the option that says See all cookies and site data. You’ll be redirected to a new page.
  5. Next, click the Remove All button. A pop-up message will come up with a warning. Read the warning and click on Clear if you want to proceed.
  6. Then, visit the website that showed the error and check if the access denied on this server problem has been solved.

Method 7. Reset The Browser

For Chrome browser:

  1. Launch your Chrome browser and click on the More icon (three dots in the top-right corner)
  2. Click the Settings option
  3. Keep scrolling down to the bottom of the Settings page and expand the Advanced settings. 
go to advanced settings
  1. Scroll down to the bottom one more time and click on Restore settings to their original defaults.
click on restore settings to their original defaults
  1. Click the Reset Settings button. This confirms that you have read the warning and agree to restore your browser to the default configuration.
reset the chrome browser to fix the error message

Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open the Firefox browser and click on the Menu icon located at the upper-right corner.
  2. Click on Help from the drop-down menu.
click the menu button and click help
  1. Click on the Troubleshooting Information option. Else, you can go to the address bar and type in “about:support” and press the Enter key.
click on troubleshooting information
  1. Click on Refresh Firefox
click on refresh firefox
  1. A pop-up warning will come up, click on the Refresh Firefox option if you want to proceed. Then, click on Finish and Firefox will restart. Once the process concludes, check if you can access the website.
click on finish to complete resetting firefox

Microsoft Edge:

  1. Launch the Microsoft Edge browser and click on the three dots arranged horizontally in the top right corner. 
  2. Click the Settings option.
go to microsoft edge settings
  1. Select the Reset Settings tab. 
  2. Click on the Restore settings to their default values option. A pop-up window will come up, you need to confirm your choice once you have read the information.
reset settings of microsoft edge browser
  1. Wait until the Edge browser finishes resetting itself. Once that’s done, check if the problem is solved.

Final Words

This article gives you all the different reasons why you are getting the “Access Denied” error along with several ways to fix it. There are several ways to remedy this error and require minimal to no effort on your part. We hope the methods were easy to follow for you and you have been able to get rid of the “access denied, you don’t have permission to access on this server” error.