Forbidden 403 on Embedded PDFs

[MrDeLucia]

Hi,

Wondering if anyone else is encountering a "Forbidden 403" error on PDFs when embedded.  Students can pop it out and open it in a new tab just fine, but when embedded on the page, they're receiving this error.  Thoughts?  All sharing permissions have been checked.

[greydon · Accepted solution]

Hello @MrDeLucia 

Thank you for contacting the Canvas Community. We're sorry to hear you've been experiencing issues with viewing pdfs. You might encounter the 403 forbidden error when you visit an empty website directory or a specific page that has a permission error. This is because most websites are set up to disallow directory browsing to prevent attackers from accessing sensitive files. It is highly likely that the pdf within the "files" portion of the class is locked or students don't have full access. If all permissions are enabled, it could be something with the file or  network  even the students are using. The students should exercise some basic trouble shooting like clearing cache and cookies, trying another browser, etc. If this is still an issue, canvas support would need to look at the specific  pdf in the course to provide an answer.

Because of the complexity of the issue, and the concerns for privacy, it would be best if you contacted Canvas Support directly to pinpoint the source of the issue and provide a resolution:

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Basics-Guide/How-do-I-contact-Canvas-Support/ta-p/389767