Unable to open Backup Manager in Plesk: 'utf-8' codec can't decode byte 0xfa in position 60: invalid start byte

Rangel Sardinha

Updated July 30, 2026 17:53

Plesk for Linux kb: technical

Symptoms

The Tools & Settings > Backup Manager menu is not accessible in Plesk:

PLESK_ERROR: 'utf-8' codec can't decode byte 0xfa in position 60: invalid start byte
The same error appears in the /var/log/plesk/panel.log.

Cause

Bug with ID PPPM-13939. Backup Manager cannot be opened when backup errors occur on backup operations for customers with special characters in the login.

Fixed in: Plesk Obsidian 18.0.55 29 August 2023

Resolution

Please consider updating your server:

How to install Plesk updates

Workaround

If update is not possible for some reason, you may try the following

workaround

If you are still experiencing issues, use the following workaround:

Connect to the server via SSH.
Use the command below to define user login(s) with special characters:

# plesk db "select pname,login from clients \G;"
*************************** 1. row ***************************
pname: John Doe
login: jhsn%hsd

In this example, the user John Doe has a login containing % symbol.
Log into Plesk.
Change the login details of the user(s) found in step 2.
Rename the tasks.db file:

# mv /usr/local/psa/PMM/tasks/tasks.db{,.broken}

The Backup Manager will be opened as expected after that.