"Access is denied" for "WindowsApps" folder.

Hi Josef

The Xbox app doesn't seem to allow you to change the default installation folder to WindowsApps on account of that being a system folder.

I have tried taking ownership of the WindowsApp and XboxGames folder but get a "Failed to Enumerate Objects in the Container. Access is denied" error on some files within. So that didn't seem to solve the problem.

At a bit of a loss at the moment.

Regards.

Hi

The error "this drive has apps from another device and that it needs to be deleted". is a common access denied error and error code 0x80070005 is a Windows
access denied error code.

It suggests to me that the D:\ drive already has Windows Apps installed from a previous PC or a previous Windows installation.

Have you either performed a fresh Windows 10 install recently or moved a hard drive from another machine into this one that used to have Windows Applications installed to the D:\ drive?

All Windows Apps including games are installed to a hidden protected folder called WindowsApps. The WindowsApps folder on the C: drive will be located in
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps. On other drives on the PC it will be in the root directory of the drive, so for D:\ it will be
D:\WindowsApps

To use your D:\ drive again you'll need to take control of this hidden folder on your D:\ drive, and delete it.Take a look at

this guide.

Remember however, that in your case you need to take permission of the WindowsApps folder on D:\ drive, there is no need to change anything on the WindowsApps folder on C:\ drive. Everything else in the guide is the same.

Windows Games from both from the PC Game Pass and the Windows Store install differently to any other PC download service such as Steam, GoG, Origin etc as they go into a protected folder.

Error code 0x80070005 is a Windows 'Access denied' error code.



All Windows 10 games and Apps from the Windows Store (including games from PC Game Pass) install to secure encrypted folder called 'WindowsApps'. On the C:\ drive the WindowsApps folder is located in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps. But to see this folder you'll need to unhide it.



For any other drive, the WindowsApps folder can be found in the root directory along with two other folders 'WpSystem' and WUDownloadCache. So for example, if your drive is F:\ it will be located in F:\WindowsApps. This folder is not hidden on other drives, but it is still encrypted and protected.



If you've have installed Windows 10 again from scratch, your previous WindowsApps folder will no longer be accessible and Windows 10 will not be able to install Windows Store Apps and games to this drive until your old WindowsApps folder is deleted. This is why Windows 10 generates the 0x80070005 error code.



Please follow this guide to help you delete your current WindowsApps folder. Once done you will also need to the delete the previously mentioned 'WpSystem' and 'WUDownloadCache' folders.

Hi,

The error code 0x80070005 is an accessed denied Windows error. For your issue with For Xbox Game Pass and the Windows Store it usually means there is either an old WindowsApps folder or XboxGames folder on there that existed from a previous Windows install or a different PC. There may be two other folders on your drive, WpSystem and WUDownloadCache.

If these folders exist on your G:\ Drive, they need to be deleted in order for you to use the drive.

Unlike Steam, GoG and Epic, the WindowsApps or XboxGames folders are encrypted/protected.

Hi,

I did try it. That's why I am here asking about it.

I installed the XBOX Game Pass for PC Games on an external USB Drive.

There is a WindowsApps folder on that drive.

If I click on it, a popup window appears, with a yellow triangle and ! mark.

"You don't currently have permission to access this folder.

Click Continue to permanently get access to this folder. "

If I click on "Continue" and another popup window appears, with a yellow triangle and ! mark.

"You have been denied permission to access this folder."

To gain access to this folder you will need to use the security tab

I stopped there.