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Fix: The Folder path contains invalid character for good
10 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
The folder path contains invalid charactererror has been present on all versions of Windows, andWindows 10is no exception. This error usually appears usually when you try to install or uninstall a certain software, so let’s see how to fix it.
But before we carry on, here are some more examples of this problem:
How can I fixThe folder path contains invalid charactererror?
Table of contents:
FixThe folder path contains an invalid characterin Program Files
- Delete everything from the TEMP folder
If you’re getting an error message that saysThe folder path contains an invalid character in Program Files, you might want to delete all files and folders from the TEMP folder. To do that, follow these instructions:
- Change Drive Letters for your CD or DVD drives
SometimesThe folder path contains invalid character in Program Filescan be caused by yourDVD drive, and it’s advised that you try changing the drive letters. To change drive letters, do the following:
FixThe folder path contains invalid characterwhen installing iTunes
- Delete all Apple entries from the registry
If you’re gettingThe folder path contains invalid charactererror message while installingiTunes, you might want to remove all Apple entries from your registry. To do that, follow these steps:
- Make sure you have enough permissions to access specific registry keys
When installing iTunes you might getThe folder path contains invalid charactererror orCould not open key: UNKNOWNComponentsDA42BC89BF25F5BD0AF18C3B9B1A1EE8b25099274a207264182f8181add555d0error.
Although these two errors look a lot different, they are both related to registry keys and permissions required to access those keys. To fix these errors, do the following:
FixThe folder path contains invalid characterwhen installing Steam
- Extract files from the .msi installer
As we already mentioned,The folder path contains invalid charactererror that occurs when users try to install or uninstall a certain software, and Steam is no exception.
If you’re having this error while installing Steam, you might want to try extracting the files from the Steam .msi installer. To do that, follow these steps:
- Delete Valve registry keys
When installing Steam,The folder path contains invalid charactererror can be caused by Valve registry keys, so let’s try to delete them in order to fix this problem.
FixThe folder path contains invalid characterwhen installing or uninstalling software
- Use third-party software to remove problematic programs
Athird-party uninstallerremoves all traces of software from the registry, so if you’re havingThe folder path contains invalid characterproblems while installing or uninstalling certain software, you might want to try a removal tool.
In fact, these tools bring more than powerful removal features to the table. It even raises the stake by adding bonus clean-up utilities to keep your PC uncluttered and optimized.
It deletes the necessary files, all cache from the temp folder, program cache from the application data folder, and any user-specific data.
Since it also eliminates all registry entries from the installation, with no residues remaining on your PC, allowing you to securely reinstall the software or app without facingThe folder path contains invalid charactererror.
The best part is that you get to test their excellent capacities before deciding to close the deal since you benefit from free trials and demo versions.
- Install the software as a different user
If you’re gettingThe folder path contains invalid characterwhile installing or uninstalling certain software, you might want to try installing it as a different user.
To do that, first, you need to create a new user on your computer. After you’ve created a new user account, switch to it and try to install the software again.
- Remove the invalid character using Registry Editor
If installing software as a different user didn’t fixThe folder path contains invalid charactererror, you might want to try removing the invalid character from the registry.
Using this method can sometimes cause damage to your system, so be careful while using it. To remove the invalid character from the registry, follow these steps:
We have to warn you that in order to complete this solution, you need to know what is the character that is causing this error.
If you remove a wrong character, or you don’t know what you’re doing, you might causedamageto your registry. Before you attempt this step, make sure that you create a backup of your registry on your computer.
- Remove League of Legends references from the registry
The folder path contains invalid charactererror sometimes appears during League of Legends installation, and according to reports, this error is caused by League of Legends references in your registry.
To fix this issue, you’ll have to delete those references by following these steps:
We have to warn you that by deleting these keys you may cause some damage to the registry if you delete the wrong keys. In the worst-case scenario, some programs might stop working if you delete their registry keys by accident, so be careful if you decide to take this step.
To avoid any unnecessary damage, you can create abackupof your registry before you delete those keys.
- Make sure that you start the installation from the administrator account
OftenThe folder path contains invalid charactererror that occurs during the installation of different software, and users have reported this error while trying to install messaging software on their computers.
To fixThe folder path contains invalid charactererror make sure that you start the installation from an administrator account.
Users have reported that they have run installations as administrators (by choosing theRun as Administratoroption) from their account, but installation was interrupted byThe folder path contains invalid charactererror.
To fix this issue, it’s advised that you switch to the administrator account and try to run the setup again. Users report that this method has been successful, so it won’t hurt that you try it.
The folder path contains invalid charactererror is mostly related to your registry, and as you can see, it can make the installation of new software a lot harder.
We did our best to cover most of these issues, and we hope that our solutions were helpful to you. Do let us know how your troubleshooting worked via the comments section below.
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More about the topics:windows 10 fix,Windows Installation errors
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
