How to fix Error 5590 on Windows Server 2025 / Windows 11

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Troubleshooting Guide: SQL Server Error 5590 — FILESTREAM Operations Not Supported on the Platform

Why This Error Happens

Error 5590 occurs when FILESTREAM functionality is enabled at the SQL Server instance level (via sp_configure) but has not been properly enabled at the Windows operating system/service level, or when the underlying volume does not support the required filesystem features. This mismatch commonly happens after a fresh install of SQL Server 2025 on Windows Server 2025 or Windows 11 where the SQL Server Configuration Manager FILESTREAM settings were skipped, or when FILESTREAM is attempted on a volume formatted with an unsupported filesystem (such as ReFS in certain configurations or network-mapped drives). It can also occur if the SQL Server service account lacks the necessary rights to access the Windows FILESTREAM share.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

Step 1: Enable FILESTREAM at the Operating System Level

  • Open SQL Server Configuration Manager (run SQLServerManager17.msc or search for it in Start).
  • Navigate to SQL Server Services, right-click your instance (e.g., SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)), and select Properties.
  • Go to the FILESTREAM tab and check all three boxes: “Enable FILESTREAM for Transact-SQL access,” “Enable FILESTREAM for file I/O streaming access,” and “Allow remote clients access to FILESTREAM data” (if needed).
  • Specify a valid Windows share name (e.g., MSSQLSERVER) and click Apply.

Step 2: Enable FILESTREAM at the SQL Server Instance Level

  • Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to the instance.
  • Run the following T-SQL to enable FILESTREAM access level (0 = disabled, 1 = T-SQL only, 2 = full access):
EXEC sp_configure 'filestream access level', 2;
RECONFIGURE;
  • Restart the SQL Server service for changes to take effect (via services.msc or net stop MSSQLSERVER && net start MSSQLSERVER).

Step 3: Verify the Target Volume Supports FILESTREAM

  • Confirm the drive hosting your FILESTREAM data container is formatted as NTFS (ReFS is only supported in specific SQL Server 2025 builds with limitations).
  • Check the volume using PowerShell:
Get-Volume -DriveLetter D | Select-Object FileSystemType
  • If the volume is ReFS and incompatible, migrate the FILESTREAM container path to an NTFS-formatted volume.

Step 4: Validate Service Account Permissions

  • Ensure the SQL Server service account has Full Control NTFS permissions on the folder path used for the FILESTREAM share.
  • Open File Explorer, right-click the FILESTREAM data folder (e.g., C:\SQLData\FileStreamContainer), go to Properties > Security, and add the SQL Server service account with Full Control.
  • Confirm the Windows “SQL Server FILESTREAM Share” is visible under \\<ServerName>\<ShareName> from a network path test.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • To verify the fix, run SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('FilestreamConfiguredLevel'); in SSMS — a return value of 2 confirms full FILESTREAM access is active.
  • If the error persists, create a new FILESTREAM-enabled filegroup and table as a test case to confirm functionality end-to-end:
CREATE TABLE TestFS (ID INT PRIMARY KEY, FileData VARBINARY(MAX) FILESTREAM, RowGuid UNIQUEIDENTIFIER NOT NULL ROWGUIDCOL UNIQUE DEFAULT NEWID());