---
title: "403 Forbidden in GitHub Pages"
canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/http-status-codes/403/in-github-pages"
platform: "GitHub Pages"
last_verified: "2026-08-11"
source: "https://lemwatch.com"
---

# HTTP 403 Forbidden in GitHub Pages

**Platform** — GitHub Pages — free static hosting from a repo.

**Where it surfaces** — The GitHub Actions deploy log, the Pages settings tab, or the raw response headers (`x-github-request-id`).

## Cause on this platform

The repo is private and Pages is serving from a branch that requires GitHub Pro/Team.

## Fix on this platform

Upgrade the org plan or make the repo public if the content is safe to expose.


## Generic reference

The server understood the request but refuses to fulfil it — different from 401 in that authentication won't help; you simply don't have permission.

_Canonical HTML page: https://lemwatch.com/http-status-codes/403/in-github-pages_