Resolving the "Sorry, You‘re Not Allowed to Access This Page" Error in WordPress

As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience building WordPress sites, I‘ve seen the “Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page” error pop up way too many times. When you suddenly can‘t access parts of your own website, it feels like getting locked out of your own house!

In this guide, I’ll share the techniques I‘ve learned to troubleshoot and resolve this frustrating access issue for good.

How Common Is This Problem?

Statistics show the "not allowed" error is widespread:

• 23% of WordPress users report seeing it occasionally or frequently (Source: WP Poll)

• It‘s the 7th most common WordPress error among over 50,000 surveyed sites. (Source: Kinsta)

• Over 9,000 threads mention this error on WordPress forums.

Clearly, users everywhere are grappling with locked out access. By learning the causes and fixes, you can join the ranks of successful troubleshooters.

What‘s Happening Behind the Scenes

To understand this error, you need to know how WordPress controls access under the hood:

• User roles and permissions – These settings dictate what a user can access.

• .htaccess file – It regulates access to WordPress areas.

• File permissions – They control who can access files/folders.

• Plugins and themes – Their code affects how WordPress runs.

If there‘s an issue with any of these, you‘ll get a "sorry, not allowed" message. It‘s like having your VIP access revoked at the club!

Here are two examples of real code problems that trigger this error:

Problematic .htaccess:

# Added by Plugin X 
RewriteRule ^wp-admin - [L,R=404]

Buggy Plugin Code:

// Checks if user = admin 
if ($user != ‘admin‘) {
  die("Sorry, you‘re not allowed to access this page");
}

As you can see, web code is very literal. If you write code that blocks users, the visitors get blocked!

Avoid the Error Proactively

While troubleshooting an existing error is hard, avoiding these access issues in the first place is easy:

• Use minimal, vetted plugins – More plugins means more conflicts.

• Limit custom theme code – Keep it simple and bulletproof.

• Test updates on a staging site – Catch issues before they go live.

• Backup regularly – Quick restores to undo problems.

• Use strong passwords – Prevent unauthorized changes.

• Check permissions after changes – Confirm nothing shifted incorrectly.

• Monitor error logs – Early detection of potential problems.

Think of it as defensive driving for your site. Drive cautiously and keep your eyes peeled to avoid accidents!

Diagnosing the Underlying Cause

When the dreadful "not allowed" message pops up, here are some tips to uncover the root cause:

Reproduce the Problem

• Can a different user access the page? If so, it‘s a user role issue.

• Does the problem happen in all browsers? If not, it could be browser cache related.

• Is access blocked for all pages or just the dashboard/admin? That points to different causes.

• Did it happen right after a change like update? Critical context.

Use Process of Elimination

• Switch to Twenty Twenty theme. If issue disappears, it‘s theme-related.

• Rename plugins folder to deactivate them all. If error goes away, it‘s a plugin.

• Rename .htaccess file to deactivate it. If access opens up, culprit found.

Check Error Logs

• Any relevant PHP errors or access denied messages? Huge clues here.

• What HTTP status codes appear? 403 Forbidden often indicates access block.

• Are there spike in errors right before issue starts? Likely related.

Like any good detective, you need to gather clues to crack the case!

Restoring Rightful Access

Once you‘ve diagnosed the problem source, here are tips to restore your rightful admin or user access:

User Role and Permission Fixes

• Double check role at Users > All Users – Reset it if incorrect.

• Try a user role plugin like User Role Editor to adjust permissions.

• Reset user access via phpMyAdmin if needed – Last resort risky fix!

Resolving .htaccess Conflicts

• Generate fresh .htaccess at Settings > Permalinks.

• Compare against default .htaccess online to spot bad custom code.

• Restore valid .htaccess backup from before issue occurred.

.htaccess Tweaks

# Allow access to wp-admin: 
SetEnvIf Request_URI ^/wp-admin allow

# Allow your user id:  
SetEnvIf Remote_Addr 12.34.56.78 allow

File Permission Fixes

• Default WP folders like /wp-content/ should be 755.

• Files should be 644. Adjust via FTP as needed.

• Reset permissions on a user/group level if needed.

Plugin and Theme Troubleshooting

• Update suspect plugins/themes – May fix coding bug.

• Switch themes to isolate issue.

• Disable plugins selectively to find culprit.

• Delete unused plugins/themes completely.

Still Stuck? Don‘t Despair!

If you still can‘t resolve the issue, there are still options:

• Your host‘s support can access server logs and directives.

• Restore your site from a backup prior to issue.

• Migrate site to new hosting in case it‘s a server configuration problem.

• As last resort, delete/reinstall WordPress after backup.

Checking error logs closely provides clues during troubleshooting. Watch for relevant PHP errors, HTTP status codes like 403 Forbidden, spikes in errors before issue started, or debug messages pointing to the culprit.

With some targeted troubleshooting to identify the cause and these fixes to restore access, you can conquer the “Sorry, you’re not allowed” error! Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips.