0x80070005

What an error code means and how to fix it: Exchange, Entra sign-in, Windows Update, printing and more.

How to use it Paste an error code or part of the message into the box, such as 0x80070002 or 5.7.1, and pick a result to see what it means and how to fix it.

Windows Windows Needs an admin

0x80070005: access denied

Likely causes

  • The command or installer wasn't run as administrator (UAC blocks it).
  • File system or registry permissions were changed, so Windows Update's servicing stack can't reach what it needs.
  • Security software blocking access to a file.

How to fix it

  1. Run the tool again as administrator: right-click Command Prompt or the installer and choose Run as administrator. For activation, run slmgr.vbs from an elevated prompt.
  2. For Windows Update, open the latest log in %windir%\Logs\CBS, search for the error near the failure time, and scroll up to see which file or registry key was denied.
  3. Admins: restore the right permissions on that object. Change only what the log points to, not whole folders.
  4. Run the update again.

Checked against: learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com

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