Windows 10: How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

Discus and support How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"? in Windows 10 Gaming to solve the problem; Hi so I have bit of bad one overhere. And I'm super upset that there is no proper recovery protocol. I encrypted some files in a folder a few year ago... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Gaming' started by shaun van coller, Jun 26, 2025 at 8:37 AM.

  1. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?


    Hi so I have bit of bad one overhere. And I'm super upset that there is no proper recovery protocol. I encrypted some files in a folder a few year ago on my laptop and the laptop since got damaged beyond repair. I took out that drive and tested it in my pc using usb and it works perfectly fine. But now I am unable to recover or decrypt those file within that folder. I am out of ideas and some even said that I wont be able to recover it which is a massive problem for me.

    :)
     
    shaun van coller, Jun 26, 2025 at 8:37 AM
    #1
  2. Nikhar_K Win User

    Error: Error: 0x80071771, The Specified File Could Not Be Decrypted when accessing an Encrypted file

    Hi,



    Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



    I understand that you are unable to access the files that you have encrypted and you receive an error while decrypting the files.



    I suggest you to refer the suggestions provided by Shafeeq_Khan in the thread

    Error: 0x80071771, The Specified File Could Not Be Decrypted
    replied on April 14, 2019 and see if that helps in resolving the issue.



    Please reply with the status of the issue, we will be glad to help you further.



    Regards,

    Nikhar Khare

    Microsoft Community - Moderator
     
  3. 0x80071771 “The specified file could not be decrypted

    Hello adilnumair,

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    Have you exported and made a backup for the key certificate before? If so, you can import it back, like the suggestion in this post: Error 0x80071771 The specified file could not be encrypted - Microsoft Community


    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"? 03aa5228-85e5-4585-b86d-dde2c6ce2237?upload=true.png


    If this doesn't work for you, I'm afraid that you may need to contact a third-party data recovery service and ask them if there is something wrong they can help, as Microsoft doesn't have other ways to decrypt a file encrypted by BitLocker. As for what data recovery service can help you decrypt your files, this is beyond the scope of the Microsoft community to answer, and you will need to search for it yourself through search engines.

    Also, if a file has been encrypted by BitLocker, it takes some time to decrypt the file and it will not take effect immediately. I am not sure if you are trying to access the file while the decryption is still in progress. If you do have such an action, it may cause the file to be undecrypted.

    Feel free to let me know if you have other concerns.

    Best regards,

    Yuhao Li

    Microsoft Community Support Specialist
     
    Yuhao Li - MSFT, Jun 26, 2025 at 8:41 AM
    #3
  4. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"

    Hi everyone,



    I used funcition encrypt contents to secure data to file .txt



    When I reinstall windows and now i can not opened file encrypted before



    I recived notification when open file : error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"

    I tried some action take owner permission but it didn't working.
     
    Nguyễn Hoàng, Jun 26, 2025 at 8:41 AM
    #4
Thema:

How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

Loading...
  1. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"? - Similar Threads - fix error 0x80071771

  2. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?: Hi so I have bit of bad one overhere. And I'm super upset that there is no proper recovery protocol. I encrypted some files in a folder a few year ago on my laptop and the laptop since got damaged beyond repair. I took out that drive and tested it in my pc using usb and it...
  3. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?: Hello. I have some files within a folder on my hard drive, which I initially encrypted with bitlocker using windows 11. After some time I reinstalled windows 10 due to performance issues. Now, whenever I try to decrypt the files in that folder, I get this error message, as...
  4. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?: Hello. I have some files within a folder on my hard drive, which I initially encrypted with bitlocker using windows 11. After some time I reinstalled windows 10 due to performance issues. Now, whenever I try to decrypt the files in that folder, I get this error message, as...
  5. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?: Hello. I have some files within a folder on my hard drive, which I initially encrypted with bitlocker using windows 11. After some time I reinstalled windows 10 due to performance issues. Now, whenever I try to decrypt the files in that folder, I get this error message, as...
  6. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?: Hello. I have some files within a folder on my hard drive, which I initially encrypted using my main account. Then, for a reason, I decrypted them and encrypted them again using a different user account. I also downloaded new files using my main account, however, I added them...
  7. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?: Hello. I have some files within a folder on my hard drive, which I initially encrypted using my main account. Then, for a reason, I decrypted them and encrypted them again using a different user account. I also downloaded new files using my main account, however, I added them...
  8. How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    How to fix error 0x80071771 "the specified file could not be decrypted"?: Hello. I have some files within a folder on my hard drive, which I initially encrypted using my main account. Then, for a reason, I decrypted them and encrypted them again using a different user account. I also downloaded new files using my main account, however, I added them...
  9. How to Fix Error 0x80071771 The specified file could not be decrypted

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    How to Fix Error 0x80071771 The specified file could not be decrypted: How to Fix Error 0x80071771 The specified file could not be decrypted ? I read that it is related to some file system problem. Reference : Error 0x80071771 I have external HDD connected, Windows 10 64 bit...
  10. Error 0x80071771, The specified file could not be decrypted

    in Windows 10 News
    Error 0x80071771, The specified file could not be decrypted: [ATTACH] [ATTACH]If while trying to encrypt or decrypt a file using the default EFS engine – An unexpected error is keeping you from applying properties to the file. If you continue to receive the error, you can use the error code [...] This post Error 0x80071771, The...