How Do I Fix Error 0x80070780?

The error showing that "the file cannot be accessed by the system" has become a common problem for computer users. These errors can occur due to disk problems, permission issues, etc. Because of these issues, users can not copy, edit, or backup particular files.

It is pretty common to store the files on a drive but to access them somewhere else. However, it can create problems sometimes as you will not be able to use your files due to restrictions or any other reason.

 Error Displayed on Screen

You will see the error 0x80070780 on the screen. This issue occurs in situations like creating/copying/deleting/renaming a file on the computer.

 Error while Copying a File

To understand more about this, go through the parts below:

Part 1: What is Error 0x80070780?

The "Error 0x80070780-The file cannot be accessed by the system" occurs when you try to access particular files on the external USB or local drives on your system.

If this error appears on your system's screen, it means that you cannot edit, modify, copy, or even delete the file. "The file cannot be accessed by the system" error is a system-generated error.

You store thousands of files on the local drives and external drives, such as SD cards, hard drives, USB flash drives, and many more.

Sometimes, you can not access them for particular reasons like file permissions, bad sectors, corrupted files, etc.

It triggers the error in the system and stops you from executing any action on that particular file or folder.

 Error Occurs while Deleting a File

What causes the “Error 0x80070780?

The “Error 0x80070780-The file cannot be accessed by the system” possibly occurs due to the below-mentioned reasons:

  • File permission issues

  • System file corruption

  • Bad sectors

  • File directory corruption

  • Virus infections

  • Hard disk errors

The error 0x80070780 windows 10 occurs when you try to perform specific actions on your file/folder. For example:

  • Opening the file

  • Copying/renaming the file

  • Deleting the file

  • Modifying the system

  • Creating back-ups of data

  • During the system restore process

How do you fix the file Cannot be accessed by the system?

This error occurs due to corrupt system files. So, you should run a SFC scan to fix this.

What is SFC Scannow?

The sfc /scannow is a command line to launch the “System File Checker tool”. It helps to scan all protected files in the system. Moreover, it replaces corrupted files with a cached copy.

Part 2: 6 Efficient Fixes to Error 0x80070780

The six efficient fixes to error 0x80070780 are as follows:

  • Convert User Account to an Admin Account

  • Scan System Files

  • Clean Boot Windows

  • Run a Chkdsk Scan

  • Check the Volume Shadow Copy Service is Enabled

  • Select the Clean Up Option for System Restore and Shadow Copies

Convert User Account to an Admin Account

Error 0x80070780 can occur due to some restricted permissions for specific files for non-admin users. So, they seem to change their user accounts to the admin alternatives. To do so, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press the “Windows key + I” to open the “Settings.

Step 2: Click on Accounts. Then, go to “Family and other people” to open the options.

 Viewing Family and Other People Options

Step 3: Select user account. Then, click on the “Change account type” button.

Step 4: Then, go to the drop-down menu and select the “Administrator” option.

Step 5: Click on the “OK” button.

 Selecting Administrator Option

Scan System Files

Error 0x80070780 can occur due to corrupted system files. Therefore, the potential resolution is the System File Checker utility that repairs system files. Users can perform an SFC scan in Windows 10 by following the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Open Cortana by using the “Windows key + Q” shortcut.

Step 2: Enter the ‘cmd’ keyword in Cortana. Then, right-click the Command Prompt. After that, select “Run as administrator”.

Step 3: Input DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press Enter before initiating an SFC scan.

Step 4: Then, enter “sfc /scannow” in the Command Prompt. Now, press the Return key.

Step 5: Restart the laptop or desktop if the scan repairs the files.

 Enter Commands in Command Prompt

Clean Boot Windows

Sometimes, third-party software blocks access to specific files. It most likely happens when you install third-party antivirus software. Cleaning a boot ensures that third-party services and software don’t start with block files and Windows access.

To clean boot Windows 10, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press the “Windows key + R” to open the System Configuration window. Then, enter “msconfig” in Run, and click on the “OK” button.

 Boot Setup

Step 2: Click on the “Selective startup” radio button.

Step 3: Select the “Load system services”option. Then, use the “original boot configuration” option.

Step 4: Deselect the “Load startup items” option.

Step 5: Press on the “Services” tab.

 Selecting Services Tab

Step 6: Tick on the “Hide all Microsoft services” option if you do not want to include Microsoft services.

Step 7: Press on the “Disable all” button.

Step 8: Click on the “Apply” button.

Step 9: Then, click on the “OK” button to close the window.

Step 10: Now,System Configuration” dialog box will open. Select the “Restart option” on that window.

 System Configuration Dialogue Box

Run a Chkdsk Scan

Disk error can also be an “Error 0x80070780”. So, the Chkdsk utility that fixes the bad disk sectors might resolve this issue. To run a chkdsk scan, here are the steps:.

Step 1: Press the “Windows key + E” on the keyboard to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Then, right-click on the hard drive icon. Now, select “Properties” to open the window.

 Opening the Properties Window

Step 3: Click on the “Tools” tab.

 Clicking the Tools Tab

Step 4: Click on the “Check” button.

Step 5: A dialog box will appear on the screen requesting you to scan the disk in case Windows detects anything. You can still click on the “Scan drive” even if the dialog box shows that “Chkdsk scan isn’t required”.

Step 6: If the Chkdsk scan detect something, then restart Windows

Check the Volume Shadow Copy Service is Enabled

The “Volume Shadow Copy Service” allows users to backup file copies automatically or manually. So, when an error occurs, check if that service is enabled. To do so, below are the steps:

Step 1: Open the “Run” accessory.

Step 2: Input the “services.msc” command in Run’s Open box. Then, click on the “OK” button.

Step 3: Double-click on the “Volume Shadow Copy” to open the window.

 Volume Shadow Copy Properties Window

Step 4: If the service is not running, then click on the “Start” button.

Step 5: Select the “Automatic” option on the “Startup type” drop-down menu.

Step 6: Press the “Apply” button.

Step 7: Click on the “OK” button.

Select the Clean Up Option for System Restore and Shadow Copies

Sometimes, users can fix the error 0x80070780 by erasing shadow copies and restoring points with the Disk Cleanup utility's help. To perform that, follow the below steps:

Step 1: Enter the “Disk Clean-up” in the “Cortana’s” search box.

Step 2: Select the “Disk Clean-up” to open the window.

 Disk Clean Up Window

Step 3: Select the “C: drive” and click on the “OK” button.

Step 4: Then, click on the “Clean up system files” button on the “Disk clean-up” window.

Step 5: Now, to clean the C: drive, select again.

Step 6: Select the “More Options” tab.

 Selecting More Options Tab

Step 7: Click on the “System Restore and Shadow Copies Clean up” button.

Step 8: Then, click on “Delete” to confirm.

Conclusion

The Error 0x80070780-The file cannot be accessed by the system in Windows 10″ can stop you from accessing files on the system. Other than the fixes described above, there are some more solutions that have some chance to resolve the “error0X80070780”.

For example, repairing bad sectors on hard drives, performing a startup repair in Windows, etc. Hopefully, the above solutions can help you solve the issue, and you do not need to do extra work.

Besides, do backup the data with recovery software before you do disk clean-up to prevent data loss in this process.