EFS-encrypted Files Skipped (code 1627)

Situation

A backup plan terminates with the following warning message: EFS-encrypted Files Skipped. Not enough permissions to back up EFS files as encrypted. Files skipped:

Cause

This warning occurs if EFS-encrypted files were skipped due to a lack of permissions:

• The Keep EFS encryption option was selected in the backup plan
• On the backup source location, the computer on which the Backup instance is installed is not a member of the Backup Operators group

Solution

There are several solutions to this warning. First, decide whether you need to back up the EFS-encrypted files.

If there is no need, exclude these files from the backup dataset. To do this, edit the backup source and exclude EFS-encrypted files.

If you need to back up EFS-encrypted files, you can:

• Include the computer with Backup installed in the Backup Operators group on all computers where the backup source of this backup plan is located (if you are backing up network shared resources)
• Back up EFS-encrypted files as decrypted

Include Computer in the 'Backup Operators' Group

To back up remote EFS-encrypted files located on shared network resources as encrypted, the computer on which Backup is installed must be added to the Backup Operators group on all computers where the network shares included in the backup plan are located.

To include the required computer in the Backup Operators group, proceed as follows:

1. On the computer where the network share included in the backup plan is located, run Computer Management. To do this, open the Command Prompt and run it as administrator.
2. Type compmgmt.msc, then press Enter.
3. In the left frame, expand System Tools.
4. Expand Local Users and Groups, then select Groups.
5. Double-click Backup Operators.
6. Click Add....
7. In the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups dialog box, click Object Types....
8. Select Computers.
9. In the Enter object names to select field, specify the computer name.
10. Click OK.
11. On a computer with Backup for Windows, restart the Backup service: right-click the Backup service status in the tray (at the bottom), then select Stop Service. Wait a few seconds, then right-click again and select Start Service.

Once you are done, run the backup plan again to make sure the warning disappears.

Back up EFS-encrypted files as decrypted

To back up EFS-encrypted files as decrypted, proceed as follows:

1. Find the backup plan that produced this warning, then edit it.
2. Follow the backup wizard to the Advanced Options step.
3. In the EFS encryption group, select the Decrypt EFS-encrypted files option instead of the Keep EFS encryption option.

4. Follow the backup wizard steps to the end to save the backup plan configuration.

Once you are done, run the backup plan again to make sure the warning disappears.