Fix "403 Access denied" errors
Why some items report Access denied, and how to give the migration account the access it needs.
What it means
The account you signed in with can't read the item at the source, or can't write at the destination. The rest of the migration continues; only those items are reported.
Common causes
- The item, folder or list has unique permissions that don't include your account.
- You are not a site collection administrator on the destination.
- The source site is read-only or locked.
How to fix it
- Make the migration account a site collection administrator on the source and the destination site collections.
- In the report, filter by Errors to see the affected items.
- Run the same copy again with Copy if newer (incremental), so only the missing items are copied.
If every item fails, the session may have expired or the account may not be the one you expect. Check the connection under Connections and sign in again.
Was this article helpful?
Updated 2026-10-17
