Troubleshooting the FTP error in Plesk for Windows Server: User cannot log in, home directory inaccessible – Plesk Help Center

Applicable to:

Plesk for Windows

Symptoms

When connecting locally from Windows Server via FTP using a subscription FTP user, the operation fails with:

C:\> ftp example.com
Connected to example.com.
220 Microsoft FTP Service
User (example.com:(none)): john_doe
331 Password required
Password:
530-User cannot log in, home directory inaccessible.
Win32 error: The system cannot find the path specified.
Error details: File system returned an error.
530 End
Login failed.

Consequences

When connecting to this server via an FTP client using a subscription FTP user, the operation fails with:

PLESK_INFO: Cannot log in, home directory inaccessible

OR

PLESK_INFO: 530 User cannot log in, home directory inaccessible

Possible Causes

There are several possible causes. This error occurs if any of the following statements are true:

Server hostname is longer than 15 symbols. Check it by running the command 'hostname' in a command prompt on your Windows Server.
A domain name/hostname, which is used for an FTP connection, is resolved to a different IP address which is not configured in Plesk.
An FTP user is misconfigured in Internet Information Services (IIS):

3.1. An FTP user does not exist in Connections pane at IIS Manager > Sites > <IP_address> > localuser.

3.2. An incorrect path is specified in IIS Manager at SERVERNAME > Sites > right-click on <IP_address> > Manage FTP Site > Advanced Settings > Physical Path (tab). The path should not include the space sign.

3.3. An FTP site is absent in IIS.
An invalid FTP_ROOT_D string is set in Windows Registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\PLESK\PSA Config\Config.
An FTP user has wrong permissions on its home directory %plesk_vhosts%Servers\7\localuser\system_user.
If Network address translation (NAT) is used, its configuration may not be properly set up.

Troubleshooting Steps

Note: The troubleshooting steps below require administrative access to a Plesk server.

If a hostname is longer than 15 characters, reduce it:
- Windows Server 2012 / Windows Server 2016
  
  1.1. Go to Control Panel > System > Change Settings > Change... and specify a new Computer name, which should not contain more than 15 characters.
  
  1.2. Apply the changes.
  
  1.3. Restart the server.
- Windows Server 2008
  
  1.1. Right-click the My Computer icon and choose Properties.
  
  1.2. Select the Computer Name tab and click on the Change button.
  
  1.3. Restart the server.
Make sure that a domain is resolving to the same IP address that is set in Plesk at Domains > example.com > Web Hosting Access. Use any online tool, for example MxToolbox DNS Lookup, or the 'nslookup' utility (if installed) in a command prompt:

C:\> nslookup example.com

If IP addresses differ in Plesk and the Internet, apply one of the following solutions:
- Change the IP address, to which the domain resolves to, at Domains > example.com > Web Hosting Access.
  
  OR
- Change the IP address to the one that is specified in Plesk on registrar side.
Run the Plesk FTP repair tools:

Note: The below commands will not affect website functionality. However, custom FTP configuration, done not via Plesk, will be reset.
- Repair an FTP server in a command prompt:
  
  C:\> plesk repair ftp -y
- Reconfigure an FTP service for all domains in PowerShell using these two commands:
  
  PS plesk bin subscription -l | % { if ($_) { plesk bin repair --reconfigure-ftp-site -webspace-name $_ } }
  
  plesk bin subscription -l | % { if ($_) { plesk bin repair --repair-webspace-system-users -webspace-name $_ } }
Check Windows Registry:

4.1. Open Registry Editor: click Windows Start > type in regedit > click Run command.

4.2. In Windows Registry, expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\PLESK\PSA Config and click on the Config key.

4.3. Verify that the FTP_ROOT_D string exists and has the same path as in step 4, but without the number at the end. If the FTP_ROOT_D string does not exist, create a new string value:
Verify that an FTP user has the following permissions on its home directory %plesk_vhosts%Servers\7\localuser\<system_user>:
If NAT is used, review network configuration and make sure that the public IP address is assigned to an existent private IP address. After that, assign domains to the existing IP addresses.

Additional Information

Error message in IIS: "530 User <Username> cannot log in. Login failed." - Microsoft Support

If a local FTP connection fails with:

PLESK_INFO: 550-Access is denied.
Win32 error: Access is denied.
Error details: Authorization rules denied the access.

Make sure that an FTP user has "Read" and "Write" permissions in IIS Manager.

Comments

5 comments

Alex Laforge November 25, 2018 06:01

In my case, the 503 FTP problem was due to another additionnal cause, caused by Plesk however.

The 503 FTP problem appeared after I restored a subscription from a Plesk Backup.

As all the solutions listed on this page did not succeed, I went to "Computer Management > Users and Groups" (I am running a Windows 2012 R2 Web Server).

I discovered that the user account in charge of running the for service for this website was "DISABLED" !

Obviously, I re-enabled this user, and Boom : The FTP access was available anew, solving and vanishing the 503 FTP error.

The cause is that this user account was disabled by Plesk while restoring the backup, then Plesk forgot to re-enable it.

I am not sure if this issue will appear wether you check or do not check the "Disable website while restoring from backup" on the Plesk panel).

I hope that this issue was solved in Plesk Onyx. This happened to me in Plesk 12.5 latest update at time of writing (25th, Novembre, 2018).

Fo what it worth, I am sure this comment will help some of you, folks ;)

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Alexandr Redikultsev November 26, 2018 07:01

Hi @Alex Laforge,

Thanks for sharing!

Bu the way, I cannot recall such issues with Plesk Onyx.

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Kislay Chandan January 13, 2020 11:15 (Edited January 13, 2020 11:26)

I tried everything but still FTP is not working. In registry file was missing I created that but still issue is their. I searched everything but of no use. Plesk is not ready to give support as I have purchased it from their Reseller. Reseller is saying Plesk will provide support (Never buy from Znetlive ). I am stucked . Please Help !!

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Alisa Kasyanova January 15, 2020 06:19

@Kislay Chandan
Znetlive, as a Plesk reseller, should create a request to Plesk support on your behalf.
Or you may buy a support subscription (https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/213953025-How-to-get-support-directly-from-Plesk-) and get support directly from Plesk.

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Kislay Chandan January 18, 2020 09:09 (Edited January 18, 2020 09:09)

Alisa Kasyanova

Thanks, I registered for the support. They have solved the issue.

Here is the solution for my issue.

My server was connected as a domain controller. so to access the FTP i have to use \user id. For Example your FTP id is Demo password is 123456 and ip is 202.165.12.32 then to connect in ftp you have to type your ip then username as \Demo then password. Then it worked.

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