The site is asking for a username and password while browsing [Windows]
Introduction
If a website hosted on a Windows server prompts visitors for a username and password when accessed through a browser, the most common cause is that the anonymous user configured in IIS is out of sync with the account credentials. This issue can usually be resolved by verifying the authentication settings and updating the anonymous user password.
Prerequisites
- Remote Desktop access to the Windows server
- Access to IIS Manager
- Access to the corresponding Plesk account
- Administrative privileges on the server
Implementation
Step 1: Open IIS Manager
Log in to the Windows server using Remote Desktop and open IIS Manager.
Step 2: Open Website Properties
Locate the website experiencing the issue.
Right-click the website and select Properties.
Step 3: Verify Authentication Settings
Select the Directory Security tab.
Under Authentication and Access Control, click Edit.
Ensure the following options are enabled:
- Enable Anonymous Access
- Integrated Windows Authentication
Step 4: Verify the Anonymous User
Update the anonymous user’s password to match the FTP password configured for the account in Plesk.
The anonymous username should be in the following format:
IUSR_ftpusername
Replace “ftpusername” with the actual FTP username assigned to the domain.
Step 5: Apply the Changes
Click OK and then click Apply to save the changes.
Step 6: Reset the Anonymous User Password (If Required)
If the issue persists, reset the password for the anonymous user account.
Step 7: Synchronize the Password Using Plesk
You can synchronize the anonymous user password using the following Plesk utility command:
“%plesk_bin%\websrvmng.exe” –update-anon-password –domain-name=domain.tld
Replace domain.tld with the actual domain name.
Conclusion
When a Windows-hosted website prompts for credentials unexpectedly, the issue is often caused by IIS anonymous authentication settings being out of sync. Verifying the IIS configuration and synchronizing the anonymous user password with the corresponding Plesk account typically resolves the problem.
