Web Author won't open: localhost page, Oops (403) or 404

Web Author fails in three recognisable ways: the browser lands on a localhost page, it opens but shows Oops! (403) or cannot load or save, or the address returns a 404. Each has a different cause, and the first is nearly always a session problem, not a server fault.

Symptoms

What you see	Most likely cause
The browser ends up at http://localhost:7001/MagicInfo (or http://localhost/...), which does not load for a remote user	Web Author did not receive a signed-in MagicINFO session
Web Author opens but cannot load or save, or shows Oops! (403), on a server that only has an HTTPS connector	The address Web Author's server side uses to call MagicINFO is not reachable from the server
HTTP 404 for Web Author itself	A broken Web Author package in some builds

Cause 1: no session, so the redirect falls back to localhost

Tested on 21.1070 on Windows: opening /MagicInfoWebAuthorClient/main without a signed-in MagicINFO session sends the browser to http://localhost:7001/MagicInfo. That is a built-in default address, whatever public URL you configured. Opening /MagicInfoLayoutEditor/main without a session sends the browser to the webauthor.web_url value instead.

Opening Web Author from inside the MagicINFO console passes your session and works. A remote user who lands on a localhost page has therefore usually opened the editor from a bookmark, in a different browser, or after the session expired.

Fix

1. Close the Web Author window.
2. Sign in to MagicINFO in the browser you are using.
3. Open Web Author from the console: Content > Web Author (see Starting Web Author).
4. Do not bookmark the editor's own address. Bookmark the console's sign-in page.
5. Use the same browser for the console and the editor, and keep cookies enabled for the site.

note

Changing a configuration key does not, on its own, fix this redirect. It happens when no session arrives, so start with the sign-in.

Cause 2: HTTPS-only server and the two Web Author keys

C:\MagicInfo Premium\conf\config.properties has two addresses for Web Author:

Key	Used by	Example
webauthor.web_url	Web Author's server side, to call MagicINFO. Must be reachable from the server itself	http://localhost:7001/MagicInfo (a localhost address on the install we checked)
webauthor.web_url_public	Browsers: the address users are sent to	https://magicinfo.example.com/MagicInfo

Reported on 21.1010.2, and consistent with how these settings work: on a server installed HTTPS-only, Web Author can show Oops! (403) or fail to load and save. If you removed the HTTP connector, the server's own calls to webauthor.web_url have nothing to reach.

Fix

1. Back up config.properties.
2. Keep an HTTP connector in C:\MagicInfo Premium\tomcat\conf\server.xml for these local calls. Port 7001 is the installer default. As a hardening option, Tomcat lets you bind a connector to the loopback address only, with its address attribute, so it is not reachable from the network.
3. Set webauthor.web_url to an address that works from the server itself, for example http://localhost:7001/MagicInfo, or whatever HTTP connector you run.
4. Set webauthor.web_url_public to your public HTTPS address, such as https://magicinfo.example.com/MagicInfo.
5. Restart the MagicInfoPremium service. Several minutes pass (5 to 7 observed) before the console answers again.

To test the server-side address, open <webauthor.web_url value>/openapi/auth?cmd=isMagicInfo in a browser on the server. A build number such as 211070.0 means it answers there.

Cause 3: HTTP 404 on Web Author

Reported on MagicINFO 8 builds 20.1000.x: Web Author returned 404 because of a broken Web Author package in those builds, and a later build fixed it. Check your build (Finding the MagicINFO version) and upgrade if it is one of them. There is no hand fix to apply. On a newer build, a 404 is more likely a mistyped address, so open the editor from the console menu.

After an upgrade

Upgrades replace the Web Author .war files in C:\MagicInfo Premium\webauthor\. After any upgrade, re-check both keys and the connectors in server.xml.

How to confirm it worked

1. Signed in to MagicINFO, Content > Web Author opens the editor in a new window, not a localhost page.
2. You can create a new content item and save it.
3. The content appears in the content list afterwards.

Related

• Manual: Starting Web Author
• Manual: Web Author
• MagicINFO login: find your server's sign-in page
• Open MagicINFO without :7001/MagicInfo in the URL
• Change the IP address of your MagicINFO server
• MagicINFO ports explained: 7001, 7002, 443 and the screen

Checked against MagicINFO Server 21.1070 on Windows, October 2026. The HTTPS-only and 404 cases are reported on the builds named.

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