Access denied error when running full crawl in SP 2019

Question

Receiving the error below when running full crawl over the web application:

Access is denied. Verify that either the Default Content Access Account has access to this repository, or add a crawl rule to crawl this repository. If the repository being crawled is a SharePoint repository, verify that the account you are using has "Full Read" permissions on the SharePoint Web Application being crawled.

This is what I tried so far:

• I tried the following two solutions
  
• content access account has full read permissions over the web application
• content access account is added to the Administrators of the Search Service Application

I am using the same account for both application pools and content access account

Do you have any idea how this issue can be resolved?

Answer 1

The error message indicates that the account used for content access during the crawl process does not have the necessary permissions to access the content in the web application being crawled. There are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve this issue:

1. Verify Default Content Access Account: Ensure that the Default Content Access Account used for crawling has the necessary permissions to access the content in the web application. This account should have at least "Read" permissions on the web application to crawl its content.
2. Check Crawl Rule: If the Default Content Access Account has the appropriate permissions, verify that there is a crawl rule that allows the crawler to access the content in the web application. Crawl rules define which content the crawler is allowed or not allowed to access during the crawl process.
3. Check SharePoint Web Application Permissions: If the repository being crawled is a SharePoint web application, ensure that the account used for crawling has "Full Read" permissions on the SharePoint Web Application. This can be checked and configured through SharePoint Central Administration.
4. Verify URL and Authentication: Double-check the URL of the web application being crawled to ensure it is correctly configured. Also, make sure the crawler is using the appropriate authentication method to access the content (e.g., NTLM, Kerberos, or Forms-based authentication).
5. Check Proxy Settings: If your environment uses a proxy server for internet access, ensure that the crawler's account has appropriate proxy settings to access external content if needed.
6. Review Logs: Check the SharePoint or search service application logs for more detailed error messages or additional information that may help pinpoint the cause of the access denied error.
7. Reindex Content: If the issue persists after verifying permissions and crawl settings, try reindexing the content or initiating a full re-crawl to see if it resolves the problem.

Remember to take proper precautions and follow security best practices when granting permissions to the crawler account to ensure the security and integrity of your web application's content. If you're unsure about making changes to permissions or crawl settings, consider seeking assistance from your SharePoint administrator or IT team.

Answer 2

Please follow below tips to troubleshoot the issue.

1.Make sure that the default content access account can access to the User Profile Service Application. Go to Central Administration -> Manage service application -> Select the User Profile Service Application and click on Administrators -> Add the content access account and give it the Retrieve People Data for Search Crawlers permission.

2.Check whether has crawl clue in the Search Service Application and which content access account be used in the crawl clue.

3.Check whether set AAM for the web application. If set, make sure use default zone in the AAM.

4.If you are using a multi-server farm, check the hosts file in the WFE and crawl server located at C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. You need to create host headers in All WFE and crawl servers to crawl the contents.

Reference:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/25863.access-is-denied-verify-that-either-the-default-content-access-account-has-access-to-this-repository-or-add-a-crawl-rule-to-crawl-this-repository.aspx

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Answer 3

Hi Monika S,

I'm glad to hear you solve the problem, if you have any issue about SharePoint, you are welcome to raise a ticket in this forum.

By the way, since the Microsoft Q&A community has a policy that "The question author cannot accept their own answer. They can only accept answers by others.". So, I would make a brief summary of this thread:

[Access denied error when running full crawl in SP 2019]

Issue Symptom:

Receiving the error below when running full crawl over the web application:

Access is denied. Verify that either the Default Content Access Account has access to this repository or add a crawl rule to crawl this repository. If the repository being crawled is a SharePoint repository, verify that the account you are using has "Full Read" permissions on the SharePoint Web Application being crawled.

Current status:

The issue is resolved after installation of the certificate on all SP servers and configuration on IIS bindings.

You could click the "Accept Answer" button for this summary to close this thread, and this can make it easier for other community member's to see the useful information when reading this thread. Thanks for your understanding!

Answer 4

You might have encountered this problem: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/iis-support-blog/401-1-2148074248-in-iis-logs-behind-a-load-balancer-with-multiple-servers/2428459