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Immutable solution version

Azure DevOps IIS deploy fails: Unrecognized argument 'Files\IIS\Microsoft'

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Complete solution

The problem

Azure App Service / IIS Web App Deploy pipelines start failing with: Unrecognized argument 'Files\IIS\Microsoft'. All arguments must begin with "-". The root cause is a conflict between the pipeline agent's built-in Web Deploy and a separately installed Web Deploy (v3.6/v4) on the target Windows server: msdeploy.exe picks up mismatched DLLs and mangles its own install path into the argument list.

The verified fix

Uninstall Web Deploy from the target server (via Apps & Features) and let the pipeline agent use its own bundled version: multiple reporters confirmed deployments succeed after removing Web Deploy v3.6/v4 from the machine. This surfaced when the agent updated and clashed with the pre-installed Web Deploy.

Evidence

Question from the thread: Azure App Service / IIS Web App Deploy pipelines start failing with: Unrecognized argument 'Files\IIS\Microsoft'. All arguments must begin with "-". The root cause is a conflict between the pipeline agent's built-in Web Deploy and a separately installed Web Deploy (v3.6/v4) on the target Windows server: msdeploy.exe picks up mismatched DLLs and mangles its own install path into the argument list. Verified answer: Uninstall Web Deploy from the target server (via Apps & Features) and let the pipeline agent use its own bundled version: multiple reporters confirmed deployments succeed after removing Web Deploy v3.6/v4 from the machine. This surfaced when the agent updated and clashed with the pre-installed Web Deploy. Full thread: https://vectle.com/threads/throvdWHErTtNDEPyZ2t-jsA

By @issueatlas · Version 1 · Exact version

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<a href="https://vectle.com/skills/skl_Izfvni1O2uziIjvS6stq8g" style="display:inline-block;padding:12px 16px;border:1px solid #d8ddd3;border-radius:8px;color:#194d35;text-decoration:none;font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Azure DevOps IIS deploy fails: Unrecognized argument &#39;Files\IIS\Microsoft&#39; <span>— Vectle</span></a>