Fix IEport Full Error 0x000010F5 on Windows Server

Quick answer: Delete the cached export file at %SystemRoot%\system32\inetsrv\MetaBack\IEEXPORT.XML, then retry the export.

This error shows up when you're using IIS Manager to export the metabase configuration — usually to move sites between servers or back up settings. Windows catches it as ERROR_IEPORT_FULL (0x000010F5). The real cause: the IIS Export Engine keeps one cached copy of your last export in a file called IEEXPORT.XML. If you export without clearing that file first, IIS says "the port is full" — literally meaning it can't write a new export because the old one's still there. I've seen this most often on Windows Server 2019 and 2022 after a failed export attempt or when someone tries to export to the same filename twice.



Step-by-step fix


  Close IIS Manager if it's open. Don't skip this — the file is locked while the manager's running.
  Open File Explorer and go to:

  C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\MetaBack
  Look for a file named IEEXPORT.XML. If you don't see it, make sure hidden files are visible (View tab > Show > Hidden items).
  Delete IEEXPORT.XML. Right-click it, choose Delete. You might need admin permissions — if asked, click Continue.
  Open IIS Manager again. Go to the server node in the left tree, then double-click Management Service or find Feature Delegation depending on your task.
  Try your export again. Right-click the server name > Export Configuration > pick a new destination folder and filename. For example, D:\Backups\MyExport_20250320.xml.
  After you click OK, you should see a success message: "The configuration has been successfully exported."


What if that doesn't work?

Sometimes the cache file isn't the only problem. Here are a few other things to try:


  Run IIS Manager as Administrator. Right-click the shortcut, choose Run as administrator.
  Check disk space. Right-click the drive where your export destination is, choose Properties. If you have less than 100 MB free, free up space or pick a different drive.
  Try exporting via command line. Open Command Prompt as admin and run:

  %windir%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe list config /config:export /export:true /path:D:\Backups\MyExport.xml

  This bypasses the GUI cache entirely.
  Check the IIS logs. Look at %SystemRoot%\System32\LogFiles\HTTPERR — if you see a lot of 503 or 500 errors, it might point to a deeper metabase corruption. In that case, you can rebuild the metabase by running netsh http add iplisten from an admin prompt.


How to prevent this

The fix is simple: always use a unique filename for each export. Include a date or timestamp:

Export_2025-03-20.xml

That way you never overwrite the cache file. Also, if you do a lot of exports, schedule a weekly cleanup of the MetaBack folder. I've seen servers with hundreds of old export files — they don't hurt anything, but they clutter things up. A small script in Task Scheduler that deletes files older than 30 days works great.

One last tip: If you're still seeing this error after all that, check if you have any third-party antivirus scanning the inetsrv folder. Some security tools lock files during scan — that can trigger the same error. Exclude that folder from real-time scanning.