“Web Application not found” – The web application requested is not available or properly configured.

“Web Application Not Found” Error in SharePoint – Detailed Troubleshooting Guide

When you encounter the error message “Web Application not found” in SharePoint, it typically indicates that the requested web application is either unavailable, improperly configured, or facing connectivity issues. Below is a step-by-step detailed guide to troubleshoot and resolve this issue.

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🔍 Step 1: Verify That the Web Application Exists

Before proceeding with advanced troubleshooting, confirm that the web application actually exists in SharePoint.

✅ How to Check via SharePoint Central Administration:

1. Open SharePoint Central Administration on the SharePoint server.
2. Navigate to Application Management → Manage web applications.
3. Look for the web application in the list.
4. If the web application is missing, it might have been accidentally deleted or not created at all. In that case, you will need to restore it or create a new one.

✅ How to Check via PowerShell:

1. Open SharePoint Management Shell as Administrator.
2. Run the following command: Get-SPWebApplication
3. This will list all available web applications. If the web application is missing, it needs to be recreated.

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🔍 Step 2: Check the IIS (Internet Information Services) Manager

IIS is responsible for hosting SharePoint web applications, so if it’s misconfigured, SharePoint won’t find the web application.

✅ Steps to Verify in IIS:

1. Open IIS Manager (Type inetmgr in Run or Windows Search).
2. In the Connections pane, expand the server node and look for your web application under Sites.
3. Ensure that:
   • The site exists.
   • It is in Running status.
   • The correct port number is assigned.
4. If the site is stopped, right-click and select Start.

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🔍 Step 3: Ensure the Application Pool is Running

Each SharePoint web application is associated with an application pool in IIS. If the application pool is stopped, the web application won’t work.

✅ Steps to Check the Application Pool:

1. Open IIS Manager.
2. Click on Application Pools in the left pane.
3. Look for the application pool associated with your web application.
4. Ensure that:
   • The status is Started.
   • The identity (account running the pool) is valid.
5. If it’s stopped, right-click and select Start.

🚨 Common Issues with Application Pools:

• If the identity account has expired or changed, update it in Advanced Settings.
• If the pool keeps stopping, check event logs for possible .NET framework or account permission issues.

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🔍 Step 4: Verify Alternate Access Mappings (AAM)

If the web application is configured incorrectly in Alternate Access Mappings, SharePoint may fail to find it.

✅ Steps to Check AAM in Central Administration:

1. Open SharePoint Central Administration.
2. Go to Application Management → Configure alternate access mappings.
3. Ensure that the correct internal and public URLs are mapped.
4. If necessary, edit or add the correct URL.

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🔍 Step 5: Check the SharePoint Service Status

If critical SharePoint services are not running, web applications might become inaccessible.

✅ How to Check Services in Central Administration:

1. Open SharePoint Central Administration.
2. Navigate to System Settings → Manage services on server.
3. Ensure the following services are Started:
   • Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application
   • SharePoint Timer Service
   • Search Service Application
   • Distributed Cache (if applicable)

✅ How to Check via PowerShell:

Run the following command to list SharePoint services:

Get-SPServiceInstance | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Disabled"}

If a required service is disabled, start it using:

Start-SPServiceInstance -Identity <ServiceID>

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🔍 Step 6: Verify Database Connectivity

If SharePoint cannot connect to the SQL database, the web application may not be found.

✅ Steps to Check:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
2. Connect to the SharePoint Content Database.
3. Ensure the database is in a Healthy state and not in Suspect mode.
4. Run the following query to check the status: SELECT name, state_desc FROM sys.databases
5. If the database is offline, bring it online using: ALTER DATABASE [YourDatabaseName] SET ONLINE;
6. Also, check SQL Server services on the database server:
   • SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)
   • SQL Server Agent
   • SQL Server Browser

✅ How to Check Database Permissions

Ensure that the SharePoint Farm account has the required permissions:

1. In SQL Server Management Studio, expand Security → Logins.
2. Find the SharePoint Farm account.
3. Ensure it has db_owner permission on the SharePoint databases.

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🔍 Step 7: Check DNS and Host File Settings

If DNS is misconfigured, SharePoint might fail to resolve the web application URL.

✅ Steps to Verify:

1. Open Command Prompt (cmd) as Administrator.
2. Run: ping yourwebappurl.com If it fails, there may be a DNS issue.
3. Check the hosts file (located at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts).
4. Ensure the web application URL is correctly mapped to the correct IP.

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🔍 Step 8: Restart IIS and Clear Cache

Sometimes, IIS caching or SharePoint’s object cache can cause this issue.

✅ Steps to Restart IIS:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run: iisreset /noforce

✅ Steps to Clear SharePoint Configuration Cache:

1. Stop the SharePoint Timer Service: net stop SPTimerV4
2. Navigate to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\GUID (Replace GUID with the actual folder name.)
3. Delete all XML files except cache.ini.
4. Open cache.ini, change its value to 1, and save.
5. Restart the SharePoint Timer Service: net start SPTimerV4

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🔍 Step 9: Check Event Viewer Logs

If the issue persists, check Windows Event Logs for detailed errors.

✅ Steps to Access Event Viewer:

1. Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc in Run).
2. Go to Windows Logs → Application.
3. Look for errors related to SharePoint, IIS, or SQL Server.

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🔍 Step 10: Final Checks and Restart Services

If none of the above steps resolved the issue, try these final troubleshooting steps:

• Restart SharePoint Timer Service (SPTimerV4).
• Restart SQL Server Services.
• Restart IIS and the entire SharePoint Server.

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