Operating system error 5(access is denied.) is a common error that causes tasks like migration, backup etc to fail in Plesk.

The common reason for this message is insufficient permission for the user used by Microsoft SQL instance on a folder.

At Bobcares, we often get requests from our customers to fix the database backup termination error as part of our Server Management Services.

Today, let’s get into the details on how to resolve the access denied error during Plesk backup

Causes for Access denied error during Plesk backup

Recently, one of our customers faced the below error while taking the backup of the database through Plesk.

Unable to backup database ‘XXXXXXXXXX’
Cannot open backup device ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\Backup\XXXXXXXXX.co.nz\databases\XXXXXXXXX-29\test’. Operating system error 5(Access is denied.).
BACKUP DATABASE is terminating abnormally.

On checking, we found that the main cause of the error is the insufficient permissions for the user on the backup folder.

How to fix the access denied error during Plesk backup?

We have seen that the cause of the error is insufficient permission for the User. So to fix the error we have to give the right permissions to the User. Let’s see how our Support Engineers solve it for our customers.

1. Initially, we connect to the Plesk server via RDP.

2. Then we Go to Services and select  SQL service.

3. After that, we switch to the Logon tab.

4. Then we note the name of the user from the field Logon as.

5. Now grant the MS SQL user with full control to the folder. We go to the below location.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\Backup

Then right-click on the folder and open its Properties.

6. After that in the Properties window, we switch to the Security tab and click Edit.

7. On the Permissions window, we click Add option.

8. In the opened window, we paste the Microsoft SQL user name and click Check Names. Then click OK.

9. Finally, on the Permissions window, we select the added user and allow full control to the user. Click OK to apply the changes.

Now the backup of the database was taken successfully through the Plesk.

[Need assistance when database backup failure occurs in Plesk? We’ll help you.]

Conclusion

In short, the error occurs while taking backup in Plesk due to the insufficient permission of the User. Today, we saw how our Support Engineers sort out the backup error in Plesk for our customers.