Windows 10: "Windows cannot access the specific device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate...

I don't know why this error keeps popping up or how I got it in the first place but it's starting to get annoying now. I've tried looking online for ways to get rid of the error but none of them have worked. I'm an administrator on my pc, my internet works just fine, there is no virus on my pc when I click on the properties there are no "Authenticated Users" permissions added, and no my antivirus isn't blocking anything in fact I can't even turn back on windows defender.I can't delete anything off my computer because of this issue and I also believe this error has also affected some of my sett

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'Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.' Error.

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that you receive an error, ‘'Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item’ when trying to access one particular file. I’ll certainly assist you with the issue.



However, please let us know:

• Are you trying to access the shortcut of the file?
  
• Which anti-virus are you using on the computer?
  

I would suggest you try running the application as an administrator and see if that helps. To do this, right click on the file and select
Run as administrator.



You may also want to refer the troubleshooting steps mentioned in the article
"Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or
file" error when you try to install, update or start a program or file



Note: The above mentioned article is for Windows 7, however, holds good for Windows 10.




Alternatively, you can also try enabling hidden admin account and check if you are able to access the file in hidden admin account.



Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Type command prompt in the search bar on the
   Taskbar.
   
2. Right click on the command prompt icon and select
   Run as administrator.
   
3. Type in the following commands one by one and hit
   Enter:
   
   net user administrator /active:yes
   
4. After enabling the hidden admin, try accessing the file.
   

Note: Make sure to disable hidden admin by using the command
net user administrator /active:no after performing the troubleshooting steps.



Let us know how it goes.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

windows cannot access the specified device,path,or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item

windows cannot access the specified device,path,or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item

 

"Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access them."

Hi,

There are several possibilities as to why you encountered the error message "Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access them". This could be caused by the recent update, location of files
or folders that got changed or permission settings that need to be reconfigured to name a few. For us to resolve your concern, kindly answer the questions below:

• What update was installed prior to the issue occurring?
• Does the issue only occur when you attempted to open different applications?
• What applications triggered the error to occur?
• Which version and build of Windows 10 is installed on your device?

We look forward to your response to our queries.