How to Fix Fix Error 0x80070780 — The File Cannot Be Accessed by the System on Windows
Getting error 0x80070780 when copying, moving, or accessing files? "The file cannot be accessed by the system." Fix this file access error on Windows 10 and 11.
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Main Troubleshooting Guide
How to Fix 100% Disk Usage →Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •Error 0x80070780 when copying files to or from external drives
- •"The file cannot be accessed by the system" during file operations
- •Error appears when backing up files
- •Can see the file in Explorer but can't open, copy, or move it
- •Error occurs with specific files but not others
- •Backup software fails with this error code
Common Causes
- ⚠File is corrupted or has bad sectors on disk
- ⚠File system errors on the source or destination drive
- ⚠Insufficient permissions to access the file
- ⚠File locked by another process or system service
- ⚠Encrypted file that current user can't decrypt
- ⚠Long file path exceeding Windows MAX_PATH limit
Solutions
Solution 1: Check and Repair Disk
- 1CMD as Administrator:
- 2chkdsk D: /f /r (replace D: with the affected drive letter)
- 3This scans for and repairs file system errors and bad sectors
- 4May take hours on large drives — let it complete
- 5If it's the C: drive: schedule for next restart
- 6After repair: try accessing the file again
Solution 2: Take Ownership of File
- 1Right-click the file → Properties → Security tab
- 2Advanced → Owner → Change
- 3Type your username → Check Names → OK
- 4Check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" if it's a folder
- 5Apply → then go back to Security → Edit → give yourself Full Control
- 6CMD alternative: takeown /f "filepath" && icacls "filepath" /grant %username%:F
Solution 3: Fix Long Path Issues
- 1If path is very long (260+ characters):
- 2Enable long paths: Settings → System → For developers → "Enable long paths"
- 3Or: Registry → HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
- 4Set "LongPathsEnabled" to 1
- 5Alternative: map a drive letter to a deep folder to shorten the path
- 6net use X: "\\?\C:\very\deep\folder\path"
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