Control panel forbidden error

[PressureFork]

Hello,

I require assistance with the custom 404 error page configuration on my account. I have determined that a server-level setting is preventing my custom page from working, and I am writing to establish the correct procedure for overriding it.
My initial attempt to use the Control Panel’s “Error Pages” tool was met with a “403 Forbidden” error.

To rule out a panel-specific glitch, I then manually configured a .htaccess file in my /htdocs directory with the appropriate ErrorDocument directive. This had no effect, as the default InfinityFree 404 page continued to be served, confirming the issue is not with my local configuration but with a higher-level setting.

Further diagnosis confirmed this. The .htaccess file located in my root directory contains a master ErrorDocument rule that forces all 404 errors to the errors.infinityfree.net domain. This server-level rule is overriding my local .htaccess file and is the reason the Control Panel is correctly returning a “Forbidden” error, as it lacks the permissions to modify this protected, master configuration.
Now that the cause has been identified, please provide the correct method for overriding this master rule.

Thank you.

[Frank419]

@PressureFork

Now that the cause has been identified

No, you identified nothing, the stock .htaccess can easily be overridden by your own rules inside htdocs.

This is instead browser caching (given that your rules are correct), where browsers thinks that it goes to the stock error page instead of yours when it actually doesn’t.

Please read:

How to clear your cache (And cookies) on any browser - A simple guide - The...

[Admin]

The Error Pages tool in the control panel is pretty useless. You can try the one in the client area instead, it’s much better.

Regardless, ErrorDocument rules should just work, and when placed in your website, will take precedence over our default rules.

I just tested it on your website and the custom 404 page was working perfectly fine for me. So I agree with @Frank419 that it’s probably just bad browser cache on your end that makes it seem like the configuration is not working.