SharePoint 2019 On Perm – “Error generating solution files in temporary directory” when exporting Design Package (root cause unclear)

Question

SharePoint 2019 On Perm – “Error generating solution files in temporary directory” when exporting Design Package (root cause unclear)

mohamed abdelmonem 0

i Want to Know the Root Cause of IT as I tried alot to Know the Error
When attempting to create or export a Design Package in SharePoint 2019, the operation fails with the following error:
Sorry, something went wrong.

Error generating solution files in temporary directory.

Exception Details
Exception calling "Export" with "3" argument(s):

"Error generating solution files in temporary directory."

Inner Exception:

Error generating solution files in temporary directory.

at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSolutionExporter.ExportWebAsSolution()

at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSolutionExporter.ExportWebToGallery(...)

at Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.DesignPackage.Export(...)

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Answer 1

Teddie-D 17,800 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @mohamed abdelmonem

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors, and external Microsoft employees do not have access to back-end systems to investigate root causes. Our role here is limited to sharing technical guidance based on publicly available resources and experience.

From my research, the error message “Error generating solution files in temporary directory” during a Design Package export in SharePoint 2019 is most often related to permissions issues on the temporary directories used by the SharePoint service account, rather than a problem with the directory itself.

When SPSolutionExporter runs, it must write temporary files into:

C:\Windows\Temp
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp of the SharePoint Timer Service account.
Sometimes the Application Pool identity temp folder if export is triggered interactively in Central Admin.

If the account running the export does not have sufficient rights to these folders, SharePoint will surface a misleading error pointing to the temporary directory, even though the underlying issue is NTFS permission corruption.

-You should restore correct default permissions to the relevant temporary folders rather than switching accounts.

-Grant Modify permission to both the SharePoint Timer Service account and the Web Application App Pool identity on C:\Windows\Temp and their corresponding %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp folders.

-After adjusting permissions, run an IISRESET and retry the Design Package export.

You can test with another service account to confirm the issue, but that should only be used for troubleshooting. The long-term solution is to correct the folder permissions

I hope this information is helpful.

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mohamed abdelmonem 0 Reputation points

2026-01-26T11:10:46.5533333+00:00

Hi @Teddie-D ,

Thank you for your detailed response and guidance.

I have carefully checked and applied all the recommended steps regarding permissions on the temporary folders (C:\Windows\Temp and the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp folders) for both the SharePoint Timer Service account and the Web Application App Pool identity. I also performed IISRESET and restarted the SharePoint Timer Service accordingly.

Despite this, the problem persists. I observe that the SPSolutionExporter process creates the solution files in the temporary directory, but then they disappear before completion, resulting in the same “Error generating solution files in temporary directory” error.

I have also reviewed the ULS logs extensively, but unfortunately, the errors logged remain very generic and don’t provide additional insight.

Given these facts, could the issue be related to the status of files in the Master Page Gallery — specifically, the publishing, approval, or check-in state of master pages and page layouts? I’ve seen in some cases that unpublished or checked-out files there can cause the export to fail silently.
Teddie-D 17,800 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-26T13:16:06.92+00:00

Hi @mohamed abdelmonem
From your description, the solution files are being created successfully but then disappear partway through the process. This rules out issues with the Master Page Gallery, such as publishing or check‑in status, since unpublished or checked‑out master pages do not cause temporary solution files to be deleted during SPSolutionExporter execution. If those pages were the problem, the export would either skip them or fail with a publishing error, rather than removing temporary files.

The behavior you are seeing is much more consistent with external interference. In many cases, antivirus or endpoint protection software will delete or quarantine temporary files while the solution is being packaged. When this happens, SharePoint reports a generic error and the ULS logs provide little detail, because the deletion occurs outside of SharePoint itself.

To confirm whether this is the cause, try disabling real‑time protection temporarily or add exclusions for the SharePoint temporary directories, then run the export again. If the process completes successfully, you will know the issue was related to security software.
Teddie-D 17,800 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-27T06:07:59.9933333+00:00

Hi @mohamed abdelmonem
Is there any update on this thread?
If you have any new updates or further inquiries, please let me know. Thank you!
mohamed abdelmonem 0 Reputation points

2026-01-28T08:17:45.1833333+00:00

@Teddie-D
The issue hasn’t been resolved yet.
Teddie-D 17,800 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-29T06:50:30.1833333+00:00

Hi @mohamed abdelmonem
Thank you for your update. Since the issue remains unresolved, to get the most accurate guidance, I recommend opening a new thread in the Microsoft Community Hub. This platform brings together a wide range of experts and contributors who can provide more precise and targeted guidance to help address your concern.
Thank you for your understanding.

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SharePoint 2019 On Perm – “Error generating solution files in temporary directory” when exporting Design Package (root cause unclear)

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