6 Appendix A: Product Behavior

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The information in this specification is applicable to the following Microsoft products or supplemental software. References to product versions include updates to those products.

  • Windows 2000 operating system

  • Windows XP operating system

  • Windows Server 2003 operating system

  • Windows Vista operating system

  • Windows Server 2008 operating system

  • Windows 7 operating system

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system

  • Windows 8 operating system

  • Windows Server 2012 operating system

  • Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010

  • Windows 8.1 operating system

  • Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system

  • Windows 10 operating system

  • Windows Server 2016 operating system

  • Windows Server 2019 operating system

  • Windows Server 2022 operating system

  • Windows 11 operating system

  • Windows Server 2025 operating system

Exceptions, if any, are noted in this section. If an update version, service pack or Knowledge Base (KB) number appears with a product name, the behavior changed in that update. The new behavior also applies to subsequent updates unless otherwise specified. If a product edition appears with the product version, behavior is different in that product edition.

Unless otherwise specified, any statement of optional behavior in this specification that is prescribed using the terms "SHOULD" or "SHOULD NOT" implies product behavior in accordance with the SHOULD or SHOULD NOT prescription. Unless otherwise specified, the term "MAY" implies that the product does not follow the prescription.

<1> Section 2.1: Client support for SSL or TLS is available only in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later. WebDAV servers that run on Internet Information Services, Windows SharePoint Services 2.0, or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 support SSL/TLS.

<2> Section 2.1: Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 WebDAV clients only support port 80. Support for other ports is available only in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later. The WebDAV client in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later uses port 80 by default for HTTP, and port 443 for HTTP over SSL or TLS. WebDAV servers that run on Internet Information Services, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, or Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 support any port.

<3> Section 2.2.1: This header is supported by WebDAV clients only in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system operating system and later. This header is supported by the WebDAV server only in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

<4> Section 2.2.1: The WebDAV server in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 recognizes this header only in the following instances:

  •  On an OPTIONS command, the WebDAV server sends the header in its OPTIONS response; it ignores it in the request.

  •  On a GET, HEAD, or POST request with a value of PROPFIND when used in conjunction with Translate: "f" | "F".

  • On a PUT request with a value of PROPPATCH.

 All other instances of this header are ignored.

<5> Section 2.2.2: The WebDAV server in Internet Information Services, Windows SharePoint Services 2.0, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is more accepting of input for the Translate header. These implementations accept "f*" and "F*" as FALSE, where "*" is a wildcard, not a literal character. Everything else, including omission of the header, is accepted as TRUE.

<6> Section 2.2.2: This header is issued by the WebDAV client in Windows XP operating system and later and Windows Server 2003 operating system and later.

The WebDAV server in Internet Information Services applies the Translate header only to GET and HEAD requests. On Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, the WebDAV ISAPI uses the Translate header to determine whether request processing is to be performed by the WebDAV ISAPI or passed on to the script mapped request handler. A value of FALSE will cause the WebDAV ISAPI to handle the request. Other values or a lack of a header will cause the WebDAV ISAPI to pass the request to the script mapped request handler. Handling of the PUT method is inconsistent without an explicit Translate header and may be handled either by the WebDAV ISAPI or passed to the script mapped request handler. The WebDAV ISAPI does not handle POST requests, so a POST request sent with a Translate value of FALSE will generate a 501 response.

Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 support this header on GET, POST, and HEAD commands, and all others ignore it.

<7> Section 2.2.3: Extended error handling is supported by the WebDAV client only in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later; and by a WebDAV server that uses Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. If the WebDAV server includes this header in the response, the WebDAV client in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later propagates these errors to applications for their use. A complete list of errors that are supported is specified in section 3.1.5.3.

<8> Section 2.2.4: These headers are supported by a WebDAV client in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later, and by a WebDAV server that is using Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 technology.

<9> Section 2.2.4.2: The WebDAV client in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later adds this header on requests that operate on a locked object against a WebDAV server that includes the X-MSDAVEXT: 1 header in its OPTIONS response. The WebDAV server that is implemented by Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 technology honors these headers on GET, POST, and HEAD requests if these requests also include the Translate: F header; and on PUT requests.

<10> Section 2.2.5: This extension is supported by the WebDAV client in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later. This extension is supported by the WebDAV server in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 technology.

<11> Section 3.1.1: The WebDAV client in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later keeps track of server capabilities for the extensions and uses the new headers only against those servers that advertise this behavior.

<12> Section 3.1.5: The WebDAV client in Windows sends an OPTIONS command to verify server support for extensions. In Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, the WebDAV client does not support the extensions, and, therefore, the new headers are ignored on the OPTIONS response. In Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later, the WebDAV client does support the extensions, and the new headers in the server OPTIONS response are not ignored. Support for the HTTP 449 retry extension, as specified in section 3.1.5.5 and 3.2.5.6, is not indicated by the OPTIONS command. Clients may choose to support the HTTP 449 retry extension independent of their support for other WebDAV client extensions.

<13> Section 3.1.5.1.1: The WebDAV client in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later treats the response as an error if the WebDAV server advertised the support for the extensions and returns a content type that is not multipart/MSDAVEXTPrefixEncoded in response to a request that has the X-MSDAVEXT: PROPFIND header.

<14> Section 3.1.5.1.1: These extensions are supported only by WebDAV clients in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later. The WebDAV client adds this header only on GET and POST commands to the servers that advertised the support for extensions.

<15> Section 3.1.5.1.2: These extensions are supported only by WebDAV clients in Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later. The WebDAV client adds this header only on PUT commands to the servers that advertised the support for extensions.

<16> Section 3.1.5.2: The WebDAV client always adds the Translate header with Translate-value set to "f" on all commands that are sent to any WebDAV server.

<17> Section 3.1.5.3: In Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, the WebDAV client ignores the extended errors. In Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later, the WebDAV client uses selected extended errors, as specified in the following table. The client retrieves the numeric portion of the error and attempts to map it by using the following table. If the mapping is successful, the resulting Win32 error code is returned to the application. If the mapping is unsuccessful, the extended error information is returned as success, and only the string is available for the application.

 Extended error

 Windows NT status code

 Win32 error code (decimal)

 Meaning

 0x0009000E

 0xC0000901

 220

 V_DOC_CHECKED_OUT: The file is locked or checked out; therefore, the request failed.

 0x00090075

 0xC0000902

 221

 V_CHECKOUT_REQUIRED: It is necessary to check out the file for the request to succeed.

 0x0009006F

 0xC0000903

 222

 V_BAD_FILETYPE_NO_URL: The server blocked the file because of its type.

 0x0006000A

 0xC0000904

 223

 V_SHTML_REQUEST_TOO_LONG: The request is too long.

 0x000E0098

 0xC0000905

 224

 V_FORMS_AUTH_NOT_BROWSER: The server is in forms-based authentication mode, and the client did not send authorization cookies.

 0x00960004

 0xC0000906

 225

 V_VIRUS_INFECTED_UL: The file was infected with a virus and cannot be uploaded.

 0x00960009

 0xC0000906

 225

 V_VIRUS_INFECTED_BLOCKED_DL: The file was infected with a virus and cannot be downloaded.

 0x00960008

 0xC0000907

 226

 V_VIRUS_DELETED_DL: The file was infected with a virus and was deleted because the virus already removed all the content.

 0x00090070

 0xC0000033

 123

 V_BAD_CHARS_IN_URL: The server does not support the URL.

 0x00090071

 0xC0000033

 123

 V_NO_RENAME_TO_THICKET_FOLDER: The server detected that the rename would have made a normal folder into a thicket supporting folder.

 0x00090068

 0xC0000106

 206

 V_URL_TOO_LONG: The URL was rejected because it was too long.

 0x00090063

 0xC0000801

 1295

 V_OVER_QUOTA: The change was rejected because the target site is over its disk quota.

 UNKNOWN

 0x00000000

 0

The string portion of the extended error is passed to the calling applications. The applications use this information to display the errors.

<18> Section 3.1.5.4: In Windows Vista operating system and later and Windows Server 2008 operating system and later, the WebDAV client adds these headers to the requests when servers advertise support. These extensions and files are locked as part of normal file system locking semantics.

<19> Section 3.2.5.1: The WebDAV server in Internet Information Services requires that source access be specified for the file in its configuration in order to return the source of the file. On Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, file system write access to the file is also required.

Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 requires write access to the file in order to return the source of the file. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 requires special access OpenItems in its configuration in order to return the source of the file.

<20> Section 3.2.5.1: The WebDAV server ISAPI extensions in Internet Information Services, Windows SharePoint Services 2.0, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, use the default header, translate: t.

<21> Section 3.2.5.2: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 sends these headers in response to GET, POST, and HEAD requests against locked resources when the request also includes the Translate: F header. It honors these headers on PUT irrespective of the Translate: F header. Other Windows WebDAV servers (Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 and the Internet Information Services ISAPI WebDAV protocol implementation) do not honor or send these headers.

<22> Section 3.2.5.2: WebDAV servers in Internet Information Services and Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 do not support these headers. The WebDAV server in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 supports this behavior but does not validate the lock token matches. It checks that the file is locked only when the client specifies a lock token and a time-out. As required, it also prevents PUT from succeeding and locks changes when the file is locked by a different user.

<23> Section 3.2.5.3: The Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 technology in Windows-based servers returns an error code for operations whenever it has additional information. Other Windows WebDAV protocol implementations do not return extended error information. Windows clients pass this information, when present, to the application as an extended error and perform mapping for known error codes, as specified in section 3.1.5.3.

<24> Section 3.2.5.4: WebDAV servers that receive an X-MSDAVEXT: PROPFIND header when the servers' support for the WebDAV Protocol: Client Extensions was not advertised ignore the X-MSDAVEXT request header and return only entity data without any properties.

<25> Section 3.2.5.5: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 relies on the WebDAV client to send the Content-Type: multipart/MSDAVEXTPrefixEncoded header to get combined PUT and PROPPATCH behavior. Because clients are required to send this when they send the X-MSDAVEXT: PROPPATCH header, it indirectly honors this header. Other WebDAV servers that run on Windows do not send the X-MSDAVEXT: 1 OPTIONS header and do not honor the X-MSDAVEXT: PROPPATCH header.

<26> Section 5.1: The WebDAV server in Internet Information Services requires that source access be specified for the file in its configuration in order to return the source of the file. On Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, file system write access to the file is also required.

Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 requires write access to return the source of the file. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 technology requires special-access OpenItems in its configuration in order to return the source of the file.

<27> Section 5.1.1: The WebDAV client supports encryption of files that are stored on Internet servers. Encryption of files can be controlled by the application using the specific encryption APIs that are described with the file system reference. For more information, see [MSDN-STC]. Optionally, users can choose what files to encrypt by using Windows Internet Explorer to access and modify the advanced properties of the file.

The WebDAV client uses the Encrypting File System (EFS) of the NTFS file system to encrypt files that are stored on WebDAV servers. The server does not see the plaintext version of the file, nor is it provided with any encryption key by which it can access the file.

When users use file encryption, to ensure that sensitive data is kept secure, it is critical that they take proper precautions and save a copy of their certificates in a secure place.

The WebDAV client uses the standard GET and PUT commands to get the binary data over the wire and then decrypts it locally by using the NTFS Encrypting File System.