HTTP 401 Unauthorized Error – Unable to Browse FQDN Site from SharePoint Servers?

Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 have a security feature that prevents the WFE itself from browsing to FQDN server names (i.e., intranet.company.com) it hosts. This is only an issue from the web server and does not affect external clients.

“You are not authorized to view this page”

HTTP 401 Unauthorized Error in SharePoint

Solution: Disable Loopback Check!

  • Go to Start menu, click Run and enter “regedit” to launch the Registry Editor.
  • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa, create a DWORD for DisableLoopbackCheck (if it doesn’t exist there alreay!) and enter a value of “1” (hexadecimal).
  • Click OK to save your changes.

Microsoft addressed two methods to solve the issue: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/networking/accessing-server-locally-with-fqdn-cname-alias-denied

For a production server, you are advised to go with method 1, For a development or test environment, method 2 is an easier fix.

This error may occur when you provide wrong user name/password when trying to access SharePoint or wrong credentials in cache.

Salaudeen Rajack

Salaudeen Rajack - Information Technology Expert with Two-decades of hands-on experience, specializing in SharePoint, PowerShell, Microsoft 365, and related products. He has held various positions including SharePoint Architect, Administrator, Developer and consultant, has helped many organizations to implement and optimize SharePoint solutions. Known for his deep technical expertise, He's passionate about sharing the knowledge and insights to help others, through the real-world articles!

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