#1 Global Leader in Data Resilience
#1 Global Leader in Data Resilience
TRY NOW
book meeting
BACK TO KB LIST

Unable to exclude files from snapshot: Shadow Copy Optimization Writer timed out

KB ID: 2073
Product: Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.0.2 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.3.1 | 6.3.2
Published: 2015-11-20
Last Modified: 2023-10-10
mailbox
Get weekly article updates
By subscribing, you are agreeing to have your personal information managed in accordance with the terms of Veeam's Privacy Notice.

Cheers for trusting us with the spot in your mailbox!

Now you’re less likely to miss what’s been brewing in our knowledge base with this weekly digest

error icon

Oops! Something went wrong.

Please, try again later.

Challenge

A Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows backup job  configured to operate in file-level backup mode with an entire volume selected and individual folders excluded, may fail with the error shown below.

Unable to exclude files from snapshot: Shadow Copy Optimization Writer timed out.
Warning

Cause

The issue is caused by a timeout of the MS Copy Optimization Writer due to a large number of excluded files. In such cases, the Application Event Log on the affected machine may contain entries similar to the one below:

Source:        VSS
Event ID:      8220
Level:         Information
Operation:
   OnPostSnapshot event
   PostSnapshot Event
Context:
   Execution Context: Shadow Copy Optimization Writer
   Writer Name: Shadow Copy Optimization Writer

Solution

To workaround this VSS issue, two possible approaches are suggested:

  • Option 1: Reduce the number of excluded folders until the warning no longer appears.
  • Option 2: Instead of selecting an entire volume within file-level backup and excluding folders, select only the individual folders that need to be backed up.
To submit feedback regarding this article, please click this link: Send Article Feedback
To report a typo on this page, highlight the typo with your mouse and press CTRL + Enter.

Spelling error in text

Thank you!

Thank you!

Your feedback has been received and will be reviewed.

Oops! Something went wrong.

Please, try again later.

You have selected too large block!

Please try select less.

KB Feedback/Suggestion

This form is only for KB Feedback/Suggestions, if you need help with the software open a support case
Veeam Backup & Replication
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft Entra ID
Veeam Data Cloud for Salesforce
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft Azure
Veeam Data Cloud Vault
Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365
Veeam Backup for Microsoft Entra ID
Veeam Backup for Salesforce
Veeam ONE
Veeam Service Provider Console
Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows
Veeam Agent for Linux
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
Veeam Backup for AWS
Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure
Veeam Backup for Google Cloud
Veeam Backup for Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager and Red Hat Virtualization
Veeam Management Pack for Microsoft System Center
Veeam Recovery Orchestrator
Veeam Agent for Mac
Veeam Agent for IBM AIX
Veeam Agent for Oracle Solaris
Veeam Cloud Connect
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
By submitting, you are agreeing to have your personal information managed in accordance with the terms of Veeam's Privacy Notice.
Verify your email to continue your product download
We've sent a verification code to:
  • Incorrect verification code. Please try again.
An email with a verification code was just sent to
Didn't receive the code? Click to resend in sec
Didn't receive the code? Click to resend
Start using Veeam:
Download the product
&
Activate the license key
Thank you!

Thank you!

Your feedback has been received and will be reviewed.

error icon

Oops! Something went wrong.

Please, try again later.