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How To Fix The 405 Error in a Few Easy Steps

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As a website owner, it’s almost inevitable that at some point, you will have to contend with an HTTP error.

The 405 Method Not Allowed error is one of the most common.

The error message is an HTTP status response code that indicates your web server received but rejected a web browser’s request for access to your web page.

If the error is triggered on your site, you must fix it immediately.

The longer it stays on your web page, the more it will drive visitors away from your blog.

In this article, I will show you how to fix the 405 error and the factors that could trigger the message on your website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the questions people are asking about the 405 error on Google:

What Causes A 405 Error?

The error is usually triggered when your web server rejects the HTTP method being used by your visitor’s web browser.

The issue with the method could be a miswritten URL or a technical problem with your WordPress site.

When Should I Use HTTP 405?

HTTP specifies the actions that are permitted on your web server.

As a web developer, you can configure your web server to output the 405 error when a visitor attempts actions or methods that are not allowed.

What Is Needed To Fix A 405 Error

Here are the tools are resources you will need to remove the 405 error from your web page:

  • Web Host Login Details â€” the issue could have been caused by database changes, and you will have to access your MySQL databases from your cPanel or hPanel backend to fix it.
  • FTP Client â€” You will need an FTP client like FileZilla to access the Logs folder in the public_html directory of your website.
  • WordPress Updates Reversal Plugin â€” a reversal plugin like WP Downgrade lets you reverse any recent plugin, theme, or extension update.

How To Fix The 405 Error: Step-By-Step Instructions

There are several other variations of the 405 Method Not Allowed error code, including:

  • 405 Not Allowed
  • HTTP 405 Error
  • HTTP Error 405 — Method Not Allowed
  • HTTP 405 Method Not Allowed

What’s obvious from all these variations is that none of them provides any information about what’s wrong with the visitor’s request for access.

This makes it difficult to find the root cause of the 403 error.

The techniques I will show you below will trace the most likely causes of the error and help you fix it.

I will also recommend creating a backup of your website before implementing any of those methods so you can have something to fall back on in the event you make a mistake.

Here are 7 proven techniques for sorting out the 405 error:

  1. Check the accuracy of your inputted URL
  2. Deactivate recently installed plugins, themes, and extensions
  3. Reverse recent updates
  4. Revert unexpected database changes
  5. Check for changes in your server-side logs
  6. Fix any errors in your server’s configuration
  7. Debug your WordPress code

Method 1: Check The Accuracy Of Your Inputted URL

Interestingly, an incorrect URL is the most common trigger of the 405 error.

This is particularly relevant if you are seeing the error as a visitor to a third-party website.

Double-check the URL you typed into the address bar for a missing letter, symbol, or misspelled word.

Make your corrections and press Enter to refresh the page. 

If the error disappears, there will be no need to implement another method.

Method 2: Deactivate Recently Installed Addons

Installing a new plugin or theme will add new functionality that changes the way your WordPress site operates.

Those changes can create problems that could trigger the 405 error.

If you start seeing the error after installing a new addon on your website, there is a high possibility that the new plugin or theme is responsible for the problem.

To confirm, uninstall all the recently added plugins and themes from the WordPress dashboard.

Once the addons are deactivated, check out your web page on your web browser to see if the error has been fixed.

If the error disappears, then one of your new plugins or themes triggered the error.

To identify the exact addon that created the problem, reactivate the addons one by one and check out your website to see whether the error has reappeared after each installation.

Repeat the process until you find the addon that triggers the error again.

When you find the culprit, you should remove it and contact the developer to rectify the issue.

Method 3: Reverse Recent Updates

Theme or plugin updates with problematic new code can also trigger the 405 error.

You will have to roll back the updates to check whether they are responsible for the error message.

Use your WP Downgrade plugin to cancel the changes. The plugin will automate the whole process removing the chances of you skipping any recent update.

Once the updates have been reversed, check out your site to see if the error message has disappeared.

If the message is gone, reimplement each update till you discover the root cause of the issue.

In the event, the update reversal fails to fix the error, remember to restore your updates with the plugin.

Method 4: Revert Unexpected Database Changes

This method also addresses troublesome add-ons.

A newly installed or recently updated addon will make changes to your database that may stay in place even after the theme or plugin has been deactivated.

To check for this issue, login into your cPanel dashboard and find the Databases section. Click MySQL Databases.

02b cpanel mysql database

On the next screen, navigate to the Modify Databases section and select a database from the dropdown. Then click the Repair Database.

03 cpanel repair database

The system will check if the database is functioning correctly, and repair all the tables that have issues.

You should get the Repair Complete message once the process is completed.

Repeat the process until all the databases in the dropdown have been checked out. Then go back to refresh the web page to see whether the error message has disappeared.

If it succeeds, your corrupted database is now repaired, and if not, move on to the next method.

Method 5: Check For Changes In Your Server-side Logs

Your server logs track the complete history of all the events happening on your WordPress website.

A 405 error can be triggered when incorrect information is added to your application logs.

To ensure you don’t have unwanted changes in your server logs, you must access the Logs folder and go through the archival information.

You will need to connect to your website via a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) to find the folder.

Once, you are connected to your website via the FTP client, open the public_html root directory and find the Logs folder. There, you should be able to locate your access logs and error logs.

Go through the logs and rectify any incorrect information.

I will recommend outsourcing this fix to a developer to avoid making mistakes that could create additional problems.

Method 6: Fix Any Errors In Your Server’s Configuration

Unintentional redirects or unintentional handling instructions in your web server software can trigger a 405 error.

To trace this problem, you must first identify the type of server software you are using. It’s usually Apache or Nginx.

If you are running an Apache server, you will use the .htaccess file located in the public_html root directory of your website to search for dysfunctional directives. On an Nginx server, you will use the nginx.conf file.

I will use the Apache server as an example.

Log into your web host backend and open the File Manager under the Files section. On the next screen, expand the root directory folder and find the .htacess file.

04 .htaccess file

Open the file in a text editor like Notepad++, then search for code lines that use Rewrite directives. The defective code will be the ones that are marked R=405.

The code in the screenshot below is a good example.

05 Rewrite directives on .htaccess file

When you find directives using a 405 flag like that, comment them out by adding the # character prefix. Then restart your web server.

This is another method that requires significant technical knowledge, and I will also recommend working with a developer to implement this fix.

Once you are done, check your website to see if the changes have fixed the error. If not, move on to the debugging method.

Method 7: Debug Your Code And Scripts

Implementing a comprehensive debugging process should be your last resort after you have tried all the other methods.

Here you will copy your entire website to a local development area on your computer and comb through each section of your site for bugs.

This is another method that requires technical expertise. I have a handy list of bug fixes for WordPress that you should work on with your developer.

Similar Tutorial Types To Check Out

  • How to Fix 429 Error: this article will show you the events that can trigger the error and the techniques you can use to fix it.
  • How to Fix 401 Error: discover why the error is so common and the different ways you can remove it from your website.
  • How to Fix 400 Error: learn the causes of the error, its impact, and ways to fix it.

Wrapping Up

You should be able to try out most of the techniques yourself without any web development knowledge.

If the error persists after you tried out the simpler methods, work with your developer to implement the more technical fixes.

In case you are still unable to fix the 405 error after trying out all the methods in this article, reach out to your hosting provider for a solution.

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