When your password works but the app immediately says “Access denied,” “Unauthorized,” or “You don’t have permission,” it usually means your session, permissions, or account state didn’t load correctly.
Here are the most reliable checks, in order, that fix this across most apps and websites.
Start with the quick ones—you can often resolve it in under five minutes.
1. Confirm you’re signed into the right account (and method)
“Unauthorized” often happens when you’re logging into a different account than the one that actually has access.
- Check email/username carefully (especially if you have multiple addresses).
- Check the login method: “Sign in with Google/Apple” is a separate account from email+password in many apps.
- Work/School accounts: if it’s a company tool, your personal account may authenticate but won’t have permission.
If the app shows a profile page, look for the signed-in email/ID and confirm it matches what should have access.
2. Refresh your session: sign out everywhere, then sign back in
Sometimes the login succeeds, but the session token is stale or corrupted, so the app can’t authorize requests.
- Fully sign out in the app (if you can reach settings).
- If there’s an option like “Sign out of all devices”, use it.
- Close the app completely (force close), reopen, then sign in again.
If you’re on web too, sign out there as well and repeat once.
3. Clear app/site storage for that service (cookies/cache/app data)
Authorization errors are commonly caused by bad cached data (old cookies, broken local storage, or corrupted app data).
- On web: clear cookies/site data for that specific site (not necessarily your entire browser).
- On iPhone/iPad: try “Offload App” (keeps documents) or reinstall if needed.
- On Android: Settings → Apps → (app) → Storage → Clear cache. If needed, Clear storage (this resets the app).
After clearing, sign in again and check whether the error is gone.
4. Check time/date, VPN, and network filtering
Authorization depends on secure timestamps and clean connectivity. If those are off, you can “log in” but fail authorization immediately after.
- Set date/time to automatic on your device.
- Turn off VPN temporarily (or try a different VPN region).
- Try switching networks: Wi‑Fi ↔ mobile data.
- If you’re on a managed network (school/work), content filters or firewalls can break auth flows—test on a personal connection.
One quick test: use a different network and see if the exact same account works there.
5. Make sure your account actually has permission (role, subscription, invite)
If this is a shared workspace/team app, “Unauthorized” can simply mean your role wasn’t assigned (or you’re in the wrong workspace).
- Look for a workspace switcher (often near the profile icon) and try the correct workspace.
- Search your email for an invite and re-accept it (invites can expire).
- If it’s a paid feature, confirm your subscription is active on the same account you’re using.
If you recently changed your email, role, or plan, log out/in after the change so permissions refresh.
6. Update the app (or try a different device/browser)
An outdated app version can fail newer authorization requirements, especially after a backend change.
- Update the app from the App Store/Play Store.
- On web, try a different browser or a private/incognito window.
- Try signing in on another device—if it works there, the issue is local to the original device.
If none of this works, gather details before contacting support: exact error text, time it happened, device model, OS version, app version, and whether it happens on multiple networks.
Final thoughts
“Unauthorized” after a successful login usually points to session/cache problems or mismatched permissions, not a wrong password.
If the issue persists across devices and networks, it’s likely account access (role/invite/subscription) or a service-side problem—support can fix it faster when you provide the details above.