Client Error
HTTP 401 Unauthorized
Authentication is required and has failed or has not been provided.
Check a URL for HTTP 401
Paste any URL to see whether it currently returns 401. Runs a live HTTP probe and follows redirects.
What does HTTP 401 mean?
HTTP 401 Unauthorized means the request lacks valid authentication credentials. Despite the name, it's about authentication (who are you?), not authorisation (what can you do?). The server should include a WWW-Authenticate header indicating the required authentication scheme.
Common Causes
- •Missing authentication token
- •Expired JWT or session
- •Invalid API key
- •Incorrect username/password
How to Fix It
- 1.Include valid authentication credentials
- 2.Refresh expired tokens
- 3.Check API key validity
- 4.Implement proper token refresh logic
SEO Impact
Content behind authentication is not indexed. Ensure public pages don't require authentication.
Related Status Codes
401 Unauthorized on your platform
Same status code, different fix depending on where you host. Jump to a platform-specific deep dive:
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