Origin of Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied can be diverse. This can occur due to many different reasons, such as while updating an application, the entire operating system, while installing specific updates, etc. It mainly occurs due to the presence of malware on your PC, which might probably disrupt and change the system files necessary for the following updates to take place.
It is also otherwise known as “Access is Denied” error since it prevents the users from accessing updates on their Windows’ machines. This particular error exists due to the absence of permissions on one’s system files or registry that are required by the updates via the Windows updates to complete successfully.
Fix – Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied
Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied can be easily fixed following any of these simple methods:
Method 1: Switch To Administrator Account
Step 1: First and foremost, go to the “Start” menu and type in “Control Panel” in the search box.
Step 2: Next, go to Control Panel and select “view by category” option on the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Now, click on the “User Account and Family Safety” option. Under that, select “User Account” option.
Step 4: There, click on “change your account type” option and select” administrator. Input password if required.
Step 5: Finally, restart your PC and check to see if error code Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied still exists.
Method 2: Update All Your Available Drivers
The drivers on your PC should always be up to date since they enable communication between your system and the installed applications and programs. In order to check whether they need any update, follow these steps:
Step1: Firstly, right:click on “My Computer” or “This PC,” and then select “Properties” from the menu that follows.
Step 2: Next, select “Device Manager.” This will show a list of devices on your PC.
Step 3: Check to see if any one of them has a yellow exclamation mark on it. If it does, then right:click on that particular device and then choose “Update Driver.”
Step 4: Finally, restart your PC and check to see if error code Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied still occurs.
Method 3: Use the SubInAcl Tool
As mentioned earlier, incorrect permissions for file or registry can cause the error code 0x80070005: Access Denied on your PC. The SubInAcl tool can help reset these permissions. In order to use it:
Step 1: First, download SubInAcl from official Microsoft website.
Step 2: Then, install it in the folder following the instructions in the installer itself.
Step 3: Next, go to the “Start” menu and type in “Command Prompt.” Right:click on it and select “Run as administrator” option.
Step 4: Type the following command in the window that opens: notepad reset.cmd. Then press enter.
Step 5: Now, copy the command below on the window that appears next:
@echo off
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subdirectories %windir% /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
@Echo –
@Echo Done.
@Echo –
@pause
Step 6: After this, open Command Prompt again and type in reset.cmd to run the file.
Step 7: Finally, restart your PC and check to see if error code Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied still occurs.
Method 4: Allow Full User Control
If any specific application causes the error 0x80070005, it means folder permissions are maybe causing the issue. It can be solved by gaining full control of the application by these following methods:
Step 1: At first, click Windows+R keys together to open a dialogue box.
Step 2: Then, in the dialogue box, type in “C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData, and then click OK.
Step 3: Next, right:click on the “Local” folder, click on “Properties,” and then go to the “Security” tab.
Step 4: Then, click on “Edit” and select “Add.” Afterward, type in “Everyone.”
Step 5: Now, click on “Check names” and then press OK.
Step 6: After that, select “Full Control” and click OK to save the changes.
Step 7: Finally, restart your PC and check to see if error code Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied still exists.
Method 5: Configure Windows Update Settings
First, you need to be sure you are logged in as an Administrator. The first method will help you with that.
Next, you need to allow automatic updates and that too through the Windows Firewall. Follow these steps for doing that:
Step 1: First go to the “Start” menu and type in “Windows Updates.” Select it and go to “Change Settings” option.
Step 2: Next, select the “Install Updates Automatically (recommended)” option and click on OK.
Step 3: Again click on the “Start” menu and type in “Windows Firewall.”
Step 4: Next, in the left panel, select “Allow a program through Windows Firewall” option.
Step 5: After that, follow the following pathway:
Change Settings ::> Allow another program ::> Browse.
Step 6: Now, find the “svchost.exe” file, click open, and then select the “Add” option.
Step 7: Here, you will find a new program on the list titled “Host Process for Windows Services.” Finally, click on, OK.
Method 6: Uninstall And Reinstall The Program Associated With Error Code 0x80070005
If the error code 0x80070005 is generated by a particular program, then reinstalling that program could definitely help. In order to do so, follow these steps:
Step 1: First and foremost, go to the “Start” menu and type in “Programs and Features.”
Step 2: Here, try to locate the program associated with the error code 0x80070005 and right:click on it. Then click on the “Uninstall/Change” option that appears.
Step 3: Next, follow the instructions appearing on the screen to uninstall successfully.
Step 4: Finally, reinstall it correctly, and this should solve the Error 0x80070005: Access Denied.
Method 7: Run Windows System File Checker
Running Windows System File Checker will help repair corrupt files.
Step 1: First, go to the “Start” menu and type in “Command Prompt.” Then, right:click on it and select “Run as administrator” option.
Step 2: In the Command prompt, type in “sfc/scannow.” It will probably take some time.
Step 3: After the scan is finished, replace the corrupt files and restart your PC.
Method 8: Conduct A Full Malware Scan For Your PC
The Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied can also be caused by some malware infection on your PC. In order to take care of it, you can use your PC’s malware protection program to scan the PC and resolve the problem.
Finishing
Thus, these were all the methods that can fix Windows Update Error 0x80070005: Access Denied. Hopefully, one of these methods will prove useful to you.