# How to migrate opensearchDashboards.index from .kibana to .opensearch\_dashboads

**URL:** <https://forum.opensearch.org/t/how-to-migrate-opensearchdashboards-index-from-kibana-to-opensearch-dashboads/26478>\
**Category:** OpenSearch Dashboards\
**Tags:** configure\
**Created:** [August 21, 2025, 11:55am UTC](https://forum.opensearch.org/t/how-to-migrate-opensearchdashboards-index-from-kibana-to-opensearch-dashboads/26478 "2025-08-21T11:55:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![spapadop](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.opensearch.org/spapadop/32/950_2.png) [@spapadop](https://forum.opensearch.org/u/spapadop)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 11:55am UTC](https://forum.opensearch.org/t/how-to-migrate-opensearchdashboards-index-from-kibana-to-opensearch-dashboads/26478/1 "2025-08-21T11:55:52Z")

</div>

**Versions** (relevant - OpenSearch/Dashboard/Server OS/Browser):

OpenSearch v3.1 / AlmaLinux 9.6 / Safari

**Describe the issue** :

I would like to get rid of `.kibana` naming on system indexes. So, as per [sample config](https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch-Dashboards/blob/main/config/opensearch_dashboards.yml#L30) I tried these settings:

```yaml
opensearchDashboards.index: ".opensearch_dashboards"
opensearchDashboards.configIndex: ".opensearch_dashboards_config"

```

I assumed that now whatever internal user is defined at `opensearch.username` should have sufficient permissions on `.opensearch_dashboards*` indexes in order for this to work. And indeed, checking the reserved `kibana_server` role, it seems that by default now instead of giving permissions only for `.kibana` it also does for the `.opensearch_dashboards` counterparts, which is good.

However, when I restart the opensearch dashboards I get:

```json
{"type":"log","@timestamp":"2025-08-21T11:41:34Z","tags":["warning","savedobjects-service"],"pid":814455,"message":"Unable to connect to OpenSearch. Error: security_exception: [security_exception] Reason: no permissions for [] and User [name=iteskibanauser, backend_roles=[], requestedTenant=null]"}

```

From the audit logs, I see:

```json
{
  "audit_cluster_name": "mycluster",
  "audit_node_name": "mycluster-node",
  "audit_trace_task_id": "Vm_hXz7bTfWOhJucpgEfYg:20470857",
  "audit_transport_request_type": "IndicesAliasesRequest",
  "audit_category": "MISSING_PRIVILEGES",
  "audit_request_origin": "REST",
  "audit_node_id": "Vm_hXz7bTfWOhJucpgEfYg",
  "audit_request_layer": "TRANSPORT",
  "@timestamp": "2025-08-21T11:43:59.203+00:00",
  "audit_format_version": 4,
  "audit_request_remote_address": "::1",
  "audit_request_privilege": "indices:admin/aliases",
  "audit_node_host_address": "XXX.XXX.XXX.XX",
  "audit_request_effective_user": "iteskibanauser",
  "audit_node_host_name": "XXX.XXX.XXX.XX"
}

```

So, I created yet another security role, called `server_workaround` that provides `indices:admin/aliases` cluster permission and (just in case) same index permission on `*` indexes. Still, same security exception persists.

Then, just for testing, I mapped my `iteskibanauser` internal user to `all_access` security role, to see if that would help, but it didn’t, still getting the same security exception.

FYI, that’s the roles `iteskibanauser` has:

```json
{
  "user_name" : "iteskibanauser",
  "is_reserved" : true,
  "is_hidden" : true,
  "is_internal_user" : true,
  "user_requested_tenant" : null,
  "backend_roles" : [],
  "custom_attribute_names" : [],
  "tenants" : {
    "global_tenant" : true,
    "iteskibanauser" : true
  },
  "roles" : [
    "readall_and_monitor",
    "server_workaround",
    "iteskibanauser_extra",
    "kibana_user",
    "security_rest_api_access",
    "all_access",
    "kibana_server"
  ]
}

```

And now I am out of ideas of how I could make this work. Please let me know if there is a simpler way or any secret permission I should provide.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![spapadop](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.opensearch.org/spapadop/32/950_2.png) [@spapadop](https://forum.opensearch.org/u/spapadop)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://forum.opensearch.org/t/how-to-migrate-opensearchdashboards-index-from-kibana-to-opensearch-dashboads/26478/2 "2025-08-21T12:58:50Z")

</div>

If anyone reaches here, the solution was to add `.opensearch_dashboards` alias to `.opensearch_dashboard_1` index.

```bash
curl -XPUT "https://localhost:9200/.opensearch_dashboards_1/_aliases/.opensearch_dashboards"

```

Problem is that naturally this now comes empty, while all my objects are at `.kibana_1` and `.kibana_2`. Not sure how the migration should go, or if it’s even possible. I tried reindexing `kibana_*` indexes into `.opensearch_dashboards`, but still I don’t see my old objects.

Whatismore, now whenever I try to create any object I get:

```plaintext
no permissions for [] and User [name=sokratis, backend_roles=[...], requestedTenant=null] 

```