403 Forbidden Error by Cloudflare

Cloudflare is a DNS provider on the internet. The message you are seeing means that Cloudflare doesn't have an entry for the URL you are using to reach the website you wish to reach, which is not uncommon. Update your bookmark by searching for the website with a search engine, like Bing, and use the correct URL.

The other situation where you'll see that message is when a website is temporarily unavailable, or when it has been hijacked.

Hi!

On which websites are you experiencing this problem?

Do Microsoft websites also have this problem?

Are you having internet connection problems with apps installed on Windows that require internet access?

Are you getting errors when trying to update Windows through Windows Update (Settings > Windows Update) or installing an app from the Microsoft Store?

Have you restarted your internet modem to try to resolve this problem?

Have you tried connecting to a different internet connection?

• Try connecting to another Wi-Fi network, such as mobile data on your mobile phone (turn off Wi-Fi and turn on your mobile's hotspot and test).

Another test you can do:

• Press Windows + R > Type ncpa.cpl > Double-click on Ethernet Adapter (if using an internet cable) or Wireless/Wi-Fi Adapter (if using Wi-Fi) > Properties > Double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) > Select the option Use the following DNS server addresses > In Preferred DNS server, type:

8.8.8.8

Click OK > OK > Restart your computer

I Look forward to your feedback!

The behavior matches a local client-side/network issue rather than a problem with the sites themselves, especially since sign-in works on phone and iPad but fails on the Windows 11 PC after authentication.

Try the following in order on the Windows 11 desktop (Microsoft Edge focus, but similar ideas apply to other browsers):

1. Test in a private window
   • In Edge, open an InPrivate window (Ctrl+Shift+N) and sign in to one of the affected sites.
   • If it works in InPrivate, the issue is almost certainly due to extensions, cached data, or security software on the desktop.
2. Disable browser extensions and reset settings
   • Disable all extensions (ad blockers, privacy tools, security add-ons, download managers, accelerators).
   • Close and reopen the browser, then try the site again.
   • If it works, re-enable extensions one by one to find the culprit.
3. Check security/accelerator software on the PC
   • Temporarily disable any of the following and test again:
     • Antivirus/Internet security suites
     • Web protection / web filtering modules
     • VPN clients or “anonymous”/location-hiding tools
     • Download accelerators or web accelerators
     • Ad-removal tools that intercept HTTPS traffic
   • These types of tools are known to cause 403/Access Denied issues when they interfere with HTTPS connections.
4. Turn off VPN or anonymizing tools
   • If a VPN or similar tool is running on the PC, turn it off and retry.
   • Cloudflare-protected sites often block or challenge traffic from VPNs or anonymizing services; this can result in a 403 after login.
5. Clear browser cache again (after the above changes)
   • After disabling/removing problematic tools, clear cache and cookies once more, then sign in again.
6. Check system-wide network filters
   • If there is a security suite (for example, something like Norton, Kaspersky, etc.) with web filtering, disable just the web filtering component and test.
   • If all PCs on the same network show similar behavior in the same browser, check router-level security features or DNS filters that might be blocking or modifying traffic.
7. Try another browser on the same PC
   • Install or open another browser (for example, Edge vs. Firefox vs. Chrome) and test the same site.
   • If one browser works and another does not, focus on that browser’s extensions and settings.

If none of the above resolves the issue, collect details such as:

• Whether the error appears in all browsers on the PC or only one.
• Whether the issue occurs on all networks (home vs. mobile hotspot).

Then contact the site’s support or Cloudflare support with the exact 403 error page details, as they can see whether the desktop IP or user agent is being blocked.

References:

• Error 403 (Access Denied/Forbidden) occurs when you connect to Windows Update
• "403 Forbidden" error on OneDrive or SharePoint
• Can't log into Hotmail on Firefox anymore - Microsoft Q&A
• My edge is blocking literally almost all sites or address I want to visit. - Microsoft Q&A
• Why can't I download the iso file for Windows 11 25H2? - Microsoft Q&A