Failed To Create Shadow Copy (code 2423)

Applies to: Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 10 - all editions, Windows 7 Service Pack 1

Situation

A backup plan fails with the following error: Failed to create shadow copy. Cannot create a shadow copy for {disk label}. The volume is too large

Cause

This error generally occurs when the VSS service attempts to create a shadow copy for a volume that size exceeds 64 TB.

Also, writable snapshots or snapshots larger than 64 TB are not supported.

Solution

You can try to shrink the volume using the Disk Management utility.

Shrink Volume allows you to create a new disk space from the existing disk.

If the partition is a raw partition (without a file system) that contains data (e.g. a database file), shrinking the partition might destroy the data

To shrink the volume, proceed as follows:

  1. Run the Computer Management utility as administrator.
  2. Expand Storage, then select Disk Management.
  3. Select the required volume, then right-click to add an additional partition.
  4. Click Shrink Volume.
  5. Maximum space to shrink will be calculated automatically. Also, it is possible to specify the custom size to shrink.
  6. Click Shrink.
  7. As shrinking is completed, an unallocated region will be created in Disk Management.

You can try to disable VSS for volumes over 64TB size:

  • In the image-based backup, this can be done on the Select Partitions step
  • In file backup, disable the Use fast NTFS scan option, then disable the Force using VSS option on the Advanced Options step

Be aware that disabling VSS significantly increases the backup duration along with increasing chances of data loss, especially on large volumes

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