Workspaces Prefetch error: 500

[MonikaGarg]

I registered for Databricks Free Edition using Google authentication. Google login succeeds and I can see my account name. However, when I select my account to enter the workspace, I receive a "Workspaces Prefetch error: 500". This also happens in an incognito window. Could you check whether my workspace has been provisioned correctly?

[ThomazNeto]

Hi Monika,

You're not alone. At least two other Free Edition users reported the same "Workspaces Prefetch error: 500" today, both on existing workspaces that were working before. For example: https://community.databricks.com/t5/databricks-free-edition-help/free-edition-workspace-errors-quot-...

So it doesn't look specific to your new account or how it was provisioned. status.databricks.com shows no open incident and lists Free Edition as operational, so I'd give it some time and try again later. Since your account is new, you don't have any work at risk.

Community members can't check provisioning for you, only Databricks staff can. Free Edition isn't covered by the support policy, so this thread is the right place. If the error page shows a TraceId, add it here.

Free Edition limitations (support and SLA): https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/getting-started/free-edition-limitations
Status page: https://status.databricks.com/

[balajij8]

Multiple users reported this issue. The issue here is likely a temporary service degradation that broke the sign in flow for few workspaces hosted in the US region. The login page works and initial authentication (Google login or OTP) succeeds, but the handover to load the workspace fails with an error. Please try signing in to the workspace again. Any existing account settings, notebooks or resources will remain intact

[Ashwin_DSA]

Hi @MonikaGarg,

Workspaces Prefetch error: 500" and the GetFilebrowserHeaderFolder ... temporarily unavailable message are both server-side errors. They come from the backend that serves your workspace, not from your browser. That's why the hard refresh, incognito window, different browser and cleared cache didn't change anything, and there's nothing more to try on your end. Other Free Edition users reported the same Prefetch 500 error around the time you first saw it, so you're not the only one.

Two likely causes for this. The first is a temporary platform problem. If that's what it is, the workspace usually comes back on its own once the service recovers. Your notebooks and data aren't affected by this kind of error.

The second is that the workspace was deactivated. The Free Edition limitations page says Databricks may delete Free Edition accounts that stay inactive for a long time, and accounts can also be removed for breaking the fair usage policy. 

Check the Databricks status page for any open incidents in your region. Then sign out completely and sign back in from the main Databricks login page instead of the saved workspace URL. See whether your workspace still appears in the workspace picker and whether it opens from there.

If this answer resolves your question, could you mark it as “Accept as Solution”? That helps other users quickly find the correct fix.