Locked Out by Wordfence? (503 Error Fix – AWS Lightsail)

If you see: “Your access to this site has been temporarily limited… (HTTP 503)”

You’ve been blocked by Wordfence. This usually happens after too many login attempts or password resets.

I will show you how to fix it in under 1 minute.

Step 1 – SSH Into Your Server

(For Amazon Lightsail Bitnami WordPress)

ssh bitnami@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Step 2 – Go to WordPress Directory

cd /opt/bitnami/wordpress

Step 3 – Deactivate Wordfence

sudo wp plugin deactivate wordfence

Refresh your website — you’ll be unblocked immediately.

Now you’re back into your WordPress dashboard.

Note: If you just reactivate Wordfence without clearing the block, you’re going to lock yourself right back out.

How to Clear the Wordfence Block After Regaining Access

1. Log in to WordPress admin.
2. Go to **Wordfence → Firewall → Blocking**.
3. In Current blocks, find your IP address.
4. Check the box next to it and click Unblock. Wordfence’s docs also note that legitimate users locked out by brute-force rules can be found and unblocked from the Firewall > Blocking page.

Step 4 – Reactivate Wordfence

Go to: Dashboard → Plugins

Find Wordfence and click Activate.

Step 5 – Unblock Your IP Address

Now go to: Wordfence → Firewall → Blocking

You’ll see your IP address listed there as blocked. Click **Unblock** next to your IP. That clears the firewall rule that was locking you out.