How to Fix Error 0x80070005 (Access Denied)

By ErrorFix · Updated October 13, 2026 · 8 min read

What error 0x80070005 means

Error 0x80070005 is Windows' standard E_ACCESSDENIED code: an operation was refused because the account or program attempting it didn't have the required permission. It shows up in many places — installing software, copying files, running Windows Update, activating Windows, using the Microsoft Store, or changing system settings — but the underlying meaning is always the same: something said "no" at the permissions layer.

What surprises people is that this can happen even when you're "the administrator." Windows runs programs with standard user rights by default (that's User Account Control doing its job), and many system files are owned by a special account called TrustedInstaller that outranks even administrators. So "Access denied" usually means one of three things: the program wasn't elevated, the ownership or permissions on the target are wrong, or security software is actively blocking the action.

Common causes

• Missing administrator rights: the program ran without elevation and UAC blocked the privileged action.
• Wrong file or folder ownership: files owned by another user or by TrustedInstaller can't be modified without taking ownership first.
• Corrupt or overly strict NTFS permissions: broken permission inheritance leaves your account with no rights at all.
• Antivirus blocking legitimate actions: quarantined files and blocked installers surface as access-denied errors.
• Corrupt user profile: a damaged profile can lose its group memberships and permissions silently.

How to fix error 0x80070005 — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Step 1 resolves the majority of cases.

1. Run the program as administrator. Right-click the program, installer, or shortcut and choose "Run as administrator," then click Yes on the UAC prompt. To make it permanent, right-click, choose Properties, open the Compatibility tab, and check "Run this program as an administrator." Many installers and updaters simply require elevation and fail with 0x80070005 without it.
2. Take ownership of the file or folder. Right-click the file or folder, choose Properties, and go to the Security tab. Click Advanced, then click Change next to the owner name at the top. Type your username, click Check Names, then OK. Check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" if it's a folder, click Apply, and confirm. You now own the item and can change its permissions.
3. Grant yourself Full control permissions. Back in the Properties window on the Security tab, click Edit, select your user account in the list, and check "Full control" under Allow. Click Apply and OK. If your account isn't listed, click Add, type your username, and then grant Full control. Retry the action that was failing.
4. Reset permissions with icacls. If the permissions look tangled, reset them to clean inherited defaults. Right-click Start, choose Terminal (Admin), and run icacls "C:\path\to\folder" /reset /t /c /q, replacing the path with your folder. The /t applies it to subfolders and files, /c continues past errors, and /q keeps the output quiet. For files you can't even touch, takeown /f "C:\path" /r takes ownership from the command line first.
5. Check your antivirus for blocks. Open your antivirus program and look at its quarantine, threat history, or blocked-actions log. If the program or installer you need appears there, restore it if you're sure it's legitimate, then add its folder to the antivirus exclusions list. Alternatively, temporarily disable real-time protection, retry the action, and re-enable protection immediately after.
6. Test with a new administrator account. Open Settings, go to Accounts, then Other users, and add a new user. Click the new account, choose "Change account type," and set it to Administrator. Sign out, sign in as the new user, and retry the failing action. If it works there, your original user profile is corrupted — migrate your files to the new account.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The blocked action now completes without 0x80070005
• You can open, edit, and delete files in the affected folder
• Antivirus logs show no blocks on the program
• A new administrator account works fine (if you tested one)

If the error appears during Windows Update or Store downloads, also try resetting those specific components: run the Windows Update troubleshooter (Settings, then System, then Troubleshoot, then Other troubleshooters) and, for Store issues, run wsreset.exe from the Run dialog to clear the Store cache. For system files owned by TrustedInstaller, resist the urge to take ownership casually — those protections exist for a reason, and proper installers handle elevation themselves.