Jan 27, 2024 • Filed to: Take Data Backup • Proven solutions
Windows 8/7/10 users are prone to encounter this unspecified error when copying a file or folder. There are many causes of this problem; some may be virus attacks, memory problem and other numerous causes. The unspecified error while copying any file or folder is curable, like every other problem this trouble also has a list of solution which are to be disclosed further in the guide. The solutions are not tiring; rather, they are small and easy for the user to understand. Before solutions, you have a list of causes for this error. Make sure you read them too.
If you are not aware of the causes of any problem, you certainly can't solve it properly. Same is the case with the unspecified error of copying files or folder catastrophic failure; you need to know all the possible reasons behind this problematic situation to tackle it in the future;
1. The Copied Files are Larger than 4GB
This is the most common reason behind the Error Copying File or Folder. Suppose the copied files or folders are larger than 4GB, and you are striving to copy them to a FAT32 partition. It may be a USB flash drive or SD card; this message will create hurdle in your process.
2. The Disk is Write-protected
In many situations, the destination disk is write protected, or the drive is read-only. In this scenario, Unspecified error when copying a file or folder in windows 10 is prone to occur.
3. The Target Disk Has not Enough Free Space
In most scenarios, the destination disk has very little space, and your data has a large volume. If there is not enough free space and the files that you want to copy is large, the process will not be completed successfully.
4. Target Disk is Corrupted or the File is Encrypted
Due to virus attacks, the target disk may get corrupted. If the disk is corrupted, the data will never be copied properly. In some cases, the files that are being transferred are encrypted, which also become the reason behind unspecified error when copying a file or folder on any of the latest operating systems.
5. System Limitation
In some rare cases, the system has few limitations which restrict the files and folders to be copied properly.
6. File or Folder Ownership Changed
Modified ownership of any file or folder can also lead you to this situation where you are unable to copy them efficiently.
Windows is surely vulnerable to many distinctive errors, but you need to make sure that you study every one of them in detail. That surely aids you in knowing your situation properly. Whatever the cause may be for this unspecified error, you can still solve this issue with simple and quick method mentioned here. You can surely follow the methods given below, make sure you follow them one by one.
This the first and foremost easiest method to follow. A vast number of users have reported that re-registering jscript.dll & vbscript.dll have solved the problem completely. Follow the steps to do so;
Step 1: First of all, you need to open command prompt with admin access. To do that, type cmd in the Windows search box and right-click on it and choose "Run as administrator.
Step 2: Once you witness UAC prompt, choose the "Yes" option.
Step 3: You need to type these two commands and hit enter after each command;
regsvr32 jscript.dll
regsvr32 vbscript.dll
Step 4: You need to reboot your computer and see if the error exists or not.
Most of the time, you encounter this error because you don't have the ownership of the file or folder that you are willing to transfer. Some of the files are not in the hand of administrator but rather any other user. To change the ownership of that file or folder, you need to follow these steps;
Step 1: Firstly, right-click on the file or folder that you want to transfer. Once you have done that, choose the option "Properties".
Step 2: Now, find the security tab and select the user account under the group.
Step 3: Moving on, click on the option "Edit" and security window will open and here you need to highlight the particular user account.
Step 4: Furthermore, you will have a list of permission for a particular user account. Make sure you check mark all the permission options, primarily "Full control" and save it.
Step 5: After following all the steps, try again to copy and paste that particular file or folder.
If the file or folder that you want to transfer is bigger in size, you can surely compress it. Compress the files and folders into a zip folder by using these steps;
Step 1: Right-click on the folder that you want to transfer.
Step 2: Now, choose the option "Compress" in the menu.
Step 3: This option will shrink the size of the folder and you can easily try to copy and paste the file or folder again.
Out of many causes, real-time protection feature of antivirus can also be the culprit behind this issue. You can also resolve the issue by disabling the real-time protection or you can also uninstall the antivirus. This will certainly solve your Error Copying File or Folder problem. Follow the steps to do so;
Step 1: First thing to do is to right-click on the anti-virus program icon from the system tray and select "Disable".
Step 2: Moving on, you need to select the time frame for which the antivirus will be set disable.
Step 3: You can choose less amount of time as you may require only few minutes to transfer your files and folders.
Step 4: If you have windows defender, you may have to temporarily disable it by opening "Settings" by using the search bars.
Step 5: Moving on, click on "Update & Security".
Step 6: In this step, click on the "Windows security" and click on "Open window security".
Step 7: In the last step, set the toggle button off under the real-time protection and restart your computer to see if the error exists or not.
While you are transferring a file or a folder from one device to another. You need to keep in mind that the format of both the devices may be different, this can cause the issue to occur. You can format it in NTFS and it can fix your unspecified error. These are the steps to do it;
Step 1: Press Windows key + "E" and file explorer will open. You need to go to this PC now. You will see all the drives here.
Step 2: Next, you need to right-click on the destination drive and click on "Format".
Step 3: Moving on, select NTFS under the file system option and click "Start". This will start the formatting process.
Step 4: Once it is formatted, click "Close" and try to copy and paste again after rebooting your computer.
If the destination drive is read-only, you won't be able to transfer your files properly. Follow the steps to remover read-only status from destination drive;
Step 1: Firstly, press Windows key + "R" to launch Run and type cmd and press Cntrl+Shift+Enter. In user account control press enter and command prompt will open up.
Step 2: Type these commands in command prompt and press enter after each command
Dsikpart
List volume
Select volume x "X is the drive letter"
Attributes disk clear readonly
Step 3: reboot your computer and see if the issue persists.
To avoid data loss, use the UBackit data backup tool to create a copy of your important files:
The unspecified error while transferring files is curable with all the methods mentioned in the guide. Use them properly.
> Resources > Take Data Backup > How to Fix Unspecified Error When Copying a File or Folder in Windows 10
Security Verified. 3,591,664 people have downloaded it.
Amy Dennis
staff Editor