DocumentationExperience Cloud KCS

Author login displays an Unexpected System Error in Adobe Experience Manager

Last update: October 13, 2026

In Adobe Experience Manager, an Unexpected System Error appears when you access the author login page instead of the username and password prompt. The error prevents access to the author instance and persists after a server restart. To fix this issue, troubleshoot the author environment.

Description description

Environment

  • Product: Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)
  • Instance: Author

Issue/Symptoms

  • An Unexpected System Error appears when accessing the AEM author login page.
  • The expected username and password prompt doesn’t appear.
  • Access to the AEM author instance is blocked.
  • The issue persists even after restarting the server.

Resolution resolution

Follow the steps below to resolve the issue:

  1. Confirm that the AEM author instance is running and is accessible at the expected login URL.
  2. Review the AEM error logs (typically error.log) on the author server for any stack traces or error messages that correspond to the login attempts.
  3. Check for any recent changes or deployments that affected the login functionality.
  4. If the error persists after a restart and no clear cause is found in the logs, gather relevant log excerpts and contact Adobe Support for further assistance.
  5. After completing these steps, access the AEM author login page again to verify that the issue is resolved.
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