FIXED “Windows Cannot Access The Specified Device Path or File”

Windows cannot access the specified device path or file?

You may see an error message stating that “Windows cannot access the given device, path, or file.” You may not have the necessary permissions to access the item.’ when attempting to launch an application or open a file. And the e erro        r       message is displayed as follows:

‘Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permission to access the item.’

When you receive the error message, you will be unable to access the file or software. Do you know what’s causing this and how to repair it?

In general, there are several reasons why Windows cannot access the given device. As an example:

• The files may be blocked by antivirus software- You do not have the necessary permissions to open the file. You may not have the necessary permissions to open/modify the application or file, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
• The files have been restricted by Windows– You do not have the necessary permissions to open the file. You may not have the necessary permissions to open/modify the application or file, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
• Antivirus has corrupted, concealed, or erased the file– The file location is inaccessible or non-existent. It’s conceivable that the file you’re attempting to access is no longer on the computer.
• The program’s shortcut has become corrupted- There might be a virus or malware attack on that particular software or application on your device.
• Or you may not have access to the item since you are not the administrator- The file is located in an inaccessible external location. If you saved the file on a network or an external hard drive that is no longer properly linked to your PC, you will receive the message “Windows cannot access the given device path or file.”

Of course, there could be other reasons why Windows is unable to access the supplied device path or file. Meanwhile, the most crucial aspect is determining how to handle this problem. Thus, please keep on reading.

How to fix solve Windows cannot access the specified device or file error?

1. Temporarily disable antivirus software.
2. Examine the file or folder’s permissions.
3. Remove the file’s restriction.
4. Examine the file’s location.
5. Recover the lost or erased file.

Windows cannot access the specified device file or path windows 10? Here’s what you can do?

In this section, we will discuss five solutions to the problem of Windows being unable to access the supplied path. You can attempt them one at a time to resolve this issue if you do not have the necessary rights to view the item. You can also watch the video below to resolve the issue Windows cannot access the given file.

NOTE- Please keep in mind that some of these solutions necessitate the usage of an administrator account on your device. This indicates that the account has the ability to do a variety of actions that may need changing system settings in order to recover your system.

Method 1- Windows cannot access the specified device path or file? Temporarily disable antivirus software.

As previously said, it is possible that a third-party antivirus product is to blame for this problem on your PC. Many different antivirus products have been reported to produce this error by Windows 10 users, so don’t rule this out.

The simplest and safest approach to test this is to temporarily disable your antivirus software and check if the error persists.

The problem The antivirus program may be causing Windows to be unable to access the given file. As a result, you can temporarily disable it to remedy the problem. You can disable your antivirus program by following the procedures outlined below.

• Step 1: Use one of the following methods to launch the Task Manager:
  • Select Task Manager from the context menu when you right-click on your taskbar.
  • Wait for the security choices screen to appear by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del buttons on your computer. Then, choose Task Manager.
• Step 2- If your Task Manager was launched in compact mode, click the More details option in the bottom left corner of the window.
• Step 3- At the top of the Task Manager window, select the Startup tab. You can see all of the applications that start with your computer when it boots up in this section.

Choose your third-party antivirus program, then click the Disable button in the bottom right corner of the window. The application’s status should be changed to Disabled.

You can now reopen the program or file to see if the problem Windows cannot access the given path Windows 10 has been resolved.

Note: Once the problem has been resolved, you should re-enable the antivirus program as soon as possible because the computer is exposed to attack if the antivirus is disabled.

Method 2- Windows cannot access the specified device path or file? Examine the file or folder’s permissions.

It’s possible that you can’t access or alter a file because you don’t have the necessary permissions.

If you share this computer with others or it is in a public place, it is most likely a precaution to ensure that no one can harm the equipment. In this instance, contact an administrator and inquire.

This section will now introduce the second way for resolving the issue when you do not have the necessary rights to access the item. To resolve this issue, verify the permissions of the file or folder.

You can refer to the detailed instructions below.

• Step 1: Right-click the file you wish to open and select Open. Then, from the context menu, select Properties.
• Step 2: Go to the Security tab, choose your name Under Group or user name, and then click Edit to proceed.
• Step 3: In the pop-up window, under Permissions for SYSTEM, tick the Allow column for the permissions you want to have. After that, please check to see if the problem with Windows not being able to access the provided path has been resolved.

NOTE- Please keep in mind that if all boxes are greyed out and have a checkmark in them, the permissions are enabled. This approach does not work for you in this case, and you must proceed to the following approach.

Method 3- Windows cannot access the specified device path or file? Remove the file’s restriction.

Windows may be unable to access the provided device path or file if the file is restricted by Windows. You can try to unblock the file to resolve this issue. You can see the particular steps of operations in the table below.

• Step 1: To proceed, right-click the file that has the problem Windows cannot access the specified path and select Properties.
• Step 2: Select the General tab in the popup window. You will then see a message. If the file is prohibited by Windows, the file originates from another computer and may be blocked to help protect the PC. As a result, check Unblock and click OK to proceed

You may now check to see if the problem Windows cannot access the given route Windows 10 has been resolved.

Method 4- Windows cannot access the specified device path or file? Examine the file’s location.

If you try to access a file using a shortcut on an external hard drive or a network location that is no longer linked to your computer, Windows may be unable to access the given device path or file. Using the procedures below, you can examine the location of the target file and see if it is in an inaccessible area.

• Step 1: Right-click the file’s shortcut on your computer and select Properties from the context menu.
• Step 2: In the pop-up window, check the Shortcut tab to see if the path in Target is available.

Method 5- Windows cannot access the specified device path or file? Recover the lost or erased file.

If Windows is unable to access the supplied device path or file, it is possible that you do not have the necessary permissions. If an antivirus removes, deletes, or hides the data, Windows will be unable to access the provided device path or file. In this case, you can retrieve the data to solve the problem.

Here are detailed procedures for recovering data from an inaccessible folder or drive.

• Step 1: Download and install the best data recovery program, then run it to access the main interface.
• Step 2: Next, you’ll have four alternatives; select This PC module to proceed. Then, select the partition from which you lost the file and click Scan to proceed.
• Step 3: When the scan is complete, all files are presented in chronological order here, and you can open each path to find the file you require.
• Step 4: After you have examined the lost files, click the Store option to select a location to save the files. Because you are using the Trial edition, you will receive a warning notice informing you that a license key is necessary to activate the program. As a result, you can reach here to buy a license by clicking here. Then run the program to finish the recuperation.

When you’ve recovered your lost files, you may see if the problem of Windows not being able to access the specified device path or file has been resolved.

We learned from this post that Windows cannot access the supplied device path or file for a variety of reasons, including antivirus software, a corrupted shortcut, a file removed by antivirus, and so on.

However, this post has identified 5 solutions to the problem of Windows being unable to open the selected file, which you can try out.