Permission & Access Issues

How to Fix 403 Forbidden Error for SharePoint WsaUpload.ashx

Aamir Naveed Akram Oct 22, 2026 870 views

Question details

Users are encountering a 403 Forbidden access error when trying to reach the WsaUpload.ashx endpoint on a public SharePoint portal.

Fixing the 403 Forbidden Error for SharePoint WsaUpload.ashx

Product: SharePoint Server 2016
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Accessing a public-facing portal running SharePoint Server 2016 on-premises.
Observed behavior: Customers receive a 403 Forbidden error on the WsaUpload.ashx endpoint, and disabling requests to this specific file fails to resolve the access issue.

Before you start

Gather your SharePoint server configuration files, authentication logs, and exact request headers to effectively diagnose the access issue.

Solution 1Recommended

Consult the Microsoft Q&A IT Pro Community

Because this involves advanced on-premises SharePoint Server 2016 configurations, the most effective route is consulting Microsoft's dedicated IT Pro community.

SharePoint Server 2016 on-premises issues often require deep inspection of IIS configurations, server logs, and farm-level authentication settings. Official Microsoft support and SharePoint experts are best equipped to analyze these specific environmental variables.

Navigate to Microsoft Q&A

Open your web browser and go to the official Microsoft Q&A community portal.

Create a detailed post

Click 'Ask a question' and describe the 403 Forbidden error, noting that disabling requests to WsaUpload.ashx did not work.

Apply the correct tags

Ensure you include the 'office-sharepoint-server-itpro' tag so the question reaches certified SharePoint Server experts.

Provide server details

Include relevant request headers, IIS authentication configurations, and sanitized server logs to expedite troubleshooting.

Consult the Microsoft Q&A IT Pro Community

Required Information: Do not post sensitive company data or unredacted IP addresses when sharing your server logs on public forums.

Solution 2

Verify IIS Authentication Settings

Check that the IIS site hosting the SharePoint portal has the correct authentication methods enabled for public access.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does a 403 Forbidden error mean in SharePoint?

A 403 Forbidden error means the server understood the request but refuses to authorize it. In SharePoint, this is usually due to incorrect permissions, misconfigured IIS authentication settings, or restrictive firewall rules.

What is the WsaUpload.ashx endpoint used for?

WsaUpload.ashx is an endpoint generally associated with telemetry, diagnostic data uploads, or Windows Software Assurance processes within specific Microsoft server environments.

Why didn't disabling requests to WsaUpload.ashx fix the error?

Simply disabling or blocking requests to the file may not resolve the underlying 403 error because the portal's background services or client-side scripts might still be aggressively attempting to validate access or communicate with that endpoint, triggering the error repeatedly.

Document & File Issues