The 401 Unauthorized error is an HTTP status code that means the page you were trying to access cannot be loaded until you first log in with a valid user ID and password.

If you’ve just logged in and received the 401 Unauthorized error, it means that the credentials you entered were invalid for some reason.

401 Unauthorized error messages are often customized by each website, especially very large ones, so keep in mind that this error may present itself in more ways than these common ones:

  • 401 UnauthorizedAuthorization RequiredHTTP Error 401 - Unauthorized

The 401 Unauthorized error displays inside the web browser window, just as web pages do. Like most errors like these, you can find them in all browsers that run on any operating system.

How to Fix the 401 Unauthorized Error

  • Check for errors in the URL. It’s possible that the 401 Unauthorized error appeared because the URL was typed incorrectly or the link that was selected points to the wrong URL—one that is for authorized users only.
  • If you’re sure the URL is valid, visit the website’s main page and look for a link that says Login or Secure Access. Enter your credentials here and then try the page again.
  • If you don’t have credentials or have forgotten yours, follow the instructions provided on the website for setting up an account or resetting your password.
  • Do you usually struggle to remember your passwords? Consider keeping them in a password manager so that you only have to remember one password.
  • Reload the page. As simple as it might seem, closing down the page and reopening it might be enough to fix the 401 error, but only if it’s caused by a misloaded page.
  • Delete your browser’s cache. There might be invalid login information stored locally in your browser that’s disrupting the login process and throwing the 401 error. Clearing the cache will remove any problems in those files and give the page an opportunity to download fresh files directly from the server.
  • If you’re sure the page you’re trying to reach shouldn’t need authorization, the 401 Unauthorized error message may be a mistake. At that point, it’s probably best to contact the website owner or other website contact and inform them of the problem.
  • The web site owner of some websites can be reached via email at webmaster@website.com, replacing website.com with the actual website name. Otherwise, find a Contact page for specific contact instructions.

Other Ways You Might See 401 Errors

Web servers running Microsoft IIS might give more information about the 401 Unauthorized error, such as the following:

Check for errors in the URL. It’s possible that the 401 Unauthorized error appeared because the URL was typed incorrectly or the link that was selected points to the wrong URL—one that is for authorized users only.

If you’re sure the URL is valid, visit the website’s main page and look for a link that says Login or Secure Access. Enter your credentials here and then try the page again.

If you don’t have credentials or have forgotten yours, follow the instructions provided on the website for setting up an account or resetting your password.

Do you usually struggle to remember your passwords? Consider keeping them in a password manager so that you only have to remember one password.

Reload the page. As simple as it might seem, closing down the page and reopening it might be enough to fix the 401 error, but only if it’s caused by a misloaded page.

Delete your browser’s cache. There might be invalid login information stored locally in your browser that’s disrupting the login process and throwing the 401 error. Clearing the cache will remove any problems in those files and give the page an opportunity to download fresh files directly from the server.

If you’re sure the page you’re trying to reach shouldn’t need authorization, the 401 Unauthorized error message may be a mistake. At that point, it’s probably best to contact the website owner or other website contact and inform them of the problem.

The web site owner of some websites can be reached via email at webmaster@website.com, replacing website.com with the actual website name. Otherwise, find a Contact page for specific contact instructions.

Errors Like 401 Unauthorized

The following messages are also client-side errors and so are related to the 401 Unauthorized error: 400 Bad Request, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, and 408 Request Timeout.

You can learn more about IIS-specific codes on Microsoft’s the HTTP status code in IIS 7 and later versions page.

A number of server-side HTTP status codes also exist, like the often-seen 500 Internal Server Error.

  • What do I do if I receive a http 401 error in Zoom?
  • Double-check the URL to make sure it’s accurate, and if so reload the page. If that doesn’t work, log out and log back in again, and if you’re still having problems try turning off any themes or plugins that may be active. Clearing your browser cache might also fix the issue.
  • What’s the difference between 401 Unauthorized and 403 Forbidden?
  • A 401 Unauthorized code indicates some sort of issue tied to login credentials for a given web page, while 403 Forbidden errors mean the page has been blocked.

Double-check the URL to make sure it’s accurate, and if so reload the page. If that doesn’t work, log out and log back in again, and if you’re still having problems try turning off any themes or plugins that may be active. Clearing your browser cache might also fix the issue.

A 401 Unauthorized code indicates some sort of issue tied to login credentials for a given web page, while 403 Forbidden errors mean the page has been blocked.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

  • What Does a 403 Forbidden Error Mean? How Do You Fix It?

  • How to Fix a 400 Bad Request Error

  • 404 Page Not Found Error: What It Is and How to Fix It

  • 503 Service Unavailable Error Message: What It Is and How to Fix It

  • How to Fix a 500 Internal Server Error

  • 502 Bad Gateway Error: What It Is and How to Fix It

  • 7 Most Common Online Error Codes

  • What Is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator)?

  • How to Fix a 408 Request Timeout Error

  • Error 524: A Timeout Occurred (What It Is & How to Fix It)

  • Is Google Drive Down…or Is It Just You?

  • What Is an ASP File?

  • What Is a System Error Code?

  • How to Tell If a Website Is Down for Everyone or Just You

  • How to Fix a Privacy Error in Chrome

  • How to Fix Code 32 Errors

  • Facebook

  • Twitter

Hit Refresh on Your Tech News

  • About Us

  • Privacy Policy

  • Editorial Guidelines

  • Terms of Use

  • Careers

  • Advertise

  • Contact

  • EU Privacy

  • NEWS

  • HOW TO

  • FEATURES

  • ABOUT US