AWS Backup job failed "backup vault does not exist" error in cross-account copy

TL;DR

The destination vault name in the copy rule does not exist in the destination account, or the copy is looking in the wrong region: vaults are per account and per region, so a copy rule written before the vault was created, or pointing at a vault deleted later, fails every job with this error. Create or correct the destination vault in the exact account and region the rule names, and confirm the copy role can describe it, then re-run the copy.

AWS Backup job failed "backup vault does not exist" error in cross-account copy

Use this when

• The job or restore fails with this symptom: AWS Backup job failed with backup vault does not exist in a cross-account copy.
• You are working on an AWS Backup plan copying recovery points to another account and the failure repeats on the same target or schedule.
• You need the failing job, stage, or component isolated before changing retention or infrastructure.

Not for this skill when

• A vault that exists but in a different region than the rule assumes, where the fix is the rule's destination rather than a new vault.
• The error text names a different product, stage, or root cause. Match the verbatim error first and use that skill.

Steps

1. Read the copy job's detail for the destination account, region, and vault name it attempted. Verify: the exact destination triple is known
2. In that account and region, list vaults and compare the name character by character with the rule's target. Verify: the vault's absence or name difference is confirmed
3. Create the vault with the intended encryption and access policy, or correct the rule to the existing vault's name. Verify: the rule's target now resolves
4. Check the copy role's permissions to describe and write to that vault across accounts. Verify: the role can act on the vault
5. Re-run a copy for one recovery point and confirm it lands in the destination vault. Verify: the copy completes and the point is listed

Variant phrasings

aws backup vault does not exist cross account copy

The verbatim phrasing.

aws backup copy job failed destination vault missing fix

The destination phrasing.

aws backup vault not found region account copy rule

The region phrasing.

Compatibility: AWS Backup cross-account copy jobs and vault management

Why it happens

Cross-account copies reference the destination vault by name across an account boundary the console view hides. A missing, renamed, or wrong-region vault therefore fails identically every run, and the error reads like a transient problem when it is pure configuration.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• Vault names are case-sensitive in some API paths; copy the name from the destination account, do not retype it.
• A vault created after the rule still needs the cross-account access policy updated in organisations that manage it centrally.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_HbYrrDxkvXwf4nCQFiVq7w