DoIT Help Desk Knowledgebase

Web Browsers - How to Fix a "Bad Request" Error

Problem

When you attempt to access a website, you may sometimes instead receive a "Bad Request" error message where the website content should have loaded. This error often contains the number "400" and may include additional text, such as "Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand. Size of a request header field exceeds server limit."

Solution

First, check the website URL you entered to make sure it is correct. If the web address appears to be entered correctly, then the issue can usually be resolved by clearing your browser's cache and cookies.

For instructions on performing these steps, click on the appropriate link for the web browser you are using:

Desktop Web Browsers

Browser	Windows Document Link	macOS Document Link
Google Chrome	Chrome (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Chrome (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Firefox	Firefox 57+ (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Firefox 21+ (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Safari	Safari (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Safari 10.0.1+ (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Internet Explorer 9, 10, & 11	Internet Explorer 9, 10 and 11 (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	None
Microsoft Edge	Edge (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	None
Opera	Opera (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Opera 28.0 (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies

Mobile Web Browsers

Operating System	Document Link
Android	Android (Jellybean) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
iOS	iOS - Clearing Cache and Cookies
webOS	HP webOS 2.x - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Windows Phone	Internet Explorer (Windows Phone) - Clearing Cache and Cookies

Legacy Versions

See Also:

• NetID Login - How to Fix a "Stale Request" Error