Windows Cannot Access the Specified Device [2022 Solved] - Qiling  

[Solved] Windows Cannot Access the Specified Device Path or File


Check the solutions to fix "Windows Cannot Access the Specified Device Path or File":

Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
1. Recover the Deleted or Lost Files Launch Qiling file recovery software on your computer. Choose the exact location where you lost...Full steps
2. Gain the Permission Right-click the file or folder and select "Properties". Under "Group or User names"...Full steps
3. Check the File Location Right-click on the problematic file or folder and select "Properties"...Full steps
4. Unlock the File/Folder Right-click the blocked file and then select "Properties". In the General tab...Full steps
5. Check the Antivirus Software You can temporarily disable the antivirus software and check...Full steps

Error - Windows Cannot Access the Specified Device Path or File

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

Windows cannot access the specified device , path or file

You may receive the exact error while you are trying to start a program or open a file on your Windows computer. And simply gaining the required permission may not be helpful. That's why so many people are posting the same question and asking further help from Microsoft support and some prevailing forums.

What are the possible reasons that make Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file? Why you don't have permission to access the folder? Through this tutorial, you can understand the causes and learn all the effective solutions to solve Windows that cannot access the specified device issue. Let's start now.

Causes - Why Windows Cannot Access the Specified Device Path

As long as you see the message "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item", you might think of the following four feasible reasons:

Solutions - Fix Windows Cannot Access the Specified Device

Now that you've known the reasons for Windows cannot access the specified device path or file error, you can take effective solutions for specific reasons to solve the problem. 

Method 1. Recover the Deleted or Lost Files

If the Windows cannot access the specified device error was caused by accidental deletion, free download Qiling data recovery software to bring lost data back. 

Deep Data Recovery can recover deleted files in Windows 10/8/7 from HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, SD card, external hard drive, etc. It supports restoring deleted photos, videos, audio, emails, Word, Excel, and other hundreds of file types. 

Windows 11/10/8/7 Data Recovery Software

  • Restore data after formatting, emptying recycle bin, virus attack, system crash, and more.
  • Recover data from any brands of SD cards or memory cards, including Kingston, Sony, Samsung, and more.
  • Support over 1000 types of files like DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, PPT/PPTX, AIF/AIFF, M4A, MP3, WAV, WMA, JPG/JPEG, etc.

If your inaccessible files or folders are on a removable hard drive or flash disk, connect it to a Windows PC where Qiling hard drive recovery software is installed, and follow the steps below to recover files that Windows cannot access normally.

Step 1. Run Deep Data Recovery. Select file types and click "Next" to start.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 2. Choose the drive where you lost files and start scanning. This software allows you to recover lost data from all devices, including HDD, SSD, USB drive, SD card, pen drive, camera, etc.

select a location and click scan

Step 3. Browse the full scan results. You can choose the file type you need by clicking on the file type filter. Qiling data recovery software supports 1000+ file types like photos, videos, documents, emails, audio files, and many more. 

Recover lost data

Step 4. Select the files you want to preview. Click "Recover" and set a storage location to save the recovered data. 

Method 2. Gain the Permission of the File or Folder

Just like the error suggests that "you may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item", you should first check if you have the permission of the file or folder. If not, do as follows to gain permission to access a file or a location.

Step 1. Right-click the file or folder and select "Properties".

Step 2. Under "Group or User names", click your name to see the permissions you have.

Step 3. Select "Edit", where you can have permissions like full control, modify, read & execute, read, write, or special permissions. Choose the permissions you need and click "OK".

gain the permission of the folder or file

Method 3. Check the File Location

You may also get Windows cannot access the specified device path or file error if the shortcut or installation is attempting to access a location that is not currently available. Check the path of the file and make sure that the location is accessible.

Step 1. Right-click on the problematic file or folder and select "Properties".

Step 2. Under the General tab, check the location, make sure that the file path is correct and accessible.

check the file location

You can follow the path to find the file. If you can't find the desired file in this location, the file is very likely deleted or moved. Take the solutions below to get back deleted files. 

All the provided fixes and file recovery solution aims to resolve 'Windows cannot access the specified device, path, and file error, which might occur on desktop contents, explorer.exe, and other locations when opening a file, trying to install, update or start a program.

Method 4. Unlock the File/Folder

You will receive the access issue if Windows blocked the file. Windows may mistake your files as harmful and prevent you from accessing them. Check the properties of the file, there may be a note saying 'This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer. To  unblock the file, follow these steps:

Step 1. Right-click the blocked file and then select "Properties".

Step 2. In the General tab, select "Unblock" if the option is available.

unblock files to fix access issue

Method 5. Check the Antivirus Software

As mentioned above, the Windows antivirus software may block the file even it isn't malicious. You can temporarily disable the antivirus software and check if your file is accessible or not. After that, you should turn on the antivirus software in time as disabling your antivirus software or changing the settings may make your PC vulnerable to viral, fraudulent, or malicious attacks. 

Conclusion

You can effectively fix Windows that cannot access the specified device path or file by using the solutions in this article. You don't have to try every method, just find the specific reason and implement a corresponding way to troubleshoot.   

If the error appears because of file deletion, you can use the Qiling file recovery tool to get back lost files to solve the issue. It can recover inaccessible files and folders with ease.

More Tips

'Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or files. You may not have the appropriate permission to access the item.'  might appear when you try to start a program or open a file on your Windows computer. The following are some highly relevant topics to this problem, check the guides if you need them. 

1. How do I get permissions in Windows 10?

2. How do I get permission to access a network computer?

3. How do you fix 'you must have read permissions to view the properties of this object'?

Related Articles


Is this information helpful?     

What can we do to improve this information? (Optional)
Refresh Please enter the verification code!