What is Msiexec.exe? Fix Msiexec.exe Access Denied Error on Windows

Msiexec.exe is an executable file. It is a Windows installer component that helps install MSI and MSP packages. You can find Msiexec.exe in your Windows > System 32 directory or the task manager, as it runs when the Windows installer installs MSI packages. If you try to delete the Msiexec.exe file, the process will not be executed due to not having special permission from TrustedInstaller. However, you can delete this file by taking the permissions from the TrustedInstaller. Despite this, if you terminate the Msiexec.exe file, you won’t be able to install or uninstall the application as this file needs to assist the Windows Installer Package during installation, maintenance, and uninstallation by the system.

How to Fix Msiexec.exe Access Denied?

If you are facing Msiexec.exe Access Denied or any error related to Msiexec.exe, the following method may help. First, understand why the Msiexec.exe error occurs. It is obvious that when the error occurs, the windows installer cannot find the Msiexec.exe file, which might be either corrupted or missing. Remember that when encountering Msiexec.exe errors, you may not be able to install, uninstall, or modify programs that use Windows Installer Software Installation (MSI).

1. Restart Your Computer

Restarting the computer can help in many scenarios, as several affected users have been able to resolve the Msiexec.exe error by restarting the computer. Follow the steps:-

1. Click Start Menu > Power Button
2. Then, click Restart
   

   

3. Once restarted, check if the error is fixed.

2. Re-register the Windows Installer

If restarting the system does not fix the error, try re-registering the Windows installer to fix all the missing and corrupted files related to Windows Installer. To re-register the Windows Installer, you must access the sade mode. Follow the steps:

1. Press the Windows + R to launch Run Program
2. Type regedit and hit Enter

   

3. Go to the following path and right the Image Path

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\msiserver

4. Click Modify and paste the following path

   C:\Windows\system32\Msiexec.exe /V

   

5. Once done, click OK and boot the Windows in a Safe Mode
6. Open the Run program by pressing the Win + R

   msiexec /regserver

   

7. Once done, check if the issue is fixed.

3. Restart the Windows Installer service

If the Windows installer service is not running in the background, you may not be able to install and uninstall applications, as the Windows installer service plays a significant role in installing and uninstalling programs. Therefore, follow the steps to check if the server is enabled:

1. Press the Win + R to launch Run Program
2. Type Services and click OK
   

   

3. Locate Windows Installer Service and right-click on it

   

4. Select Properties and change the startup to Automatic
   
5. Click Apply and then click OK
   

   

6. If the service is stopped, click Start and check if the error is fixed.

4. Reinstall the Windows Installer

If nothing helps to fix the Msiexec.exe error, you may need to reinstall the Windows installer, as some files might be corrupted and cannot be replaced or restored. Hence, you need to reinstall the Windows installer. However, there is no direct way to reinstall the Windows installer. For that reason, you will have to rename the Windows installer files and then reinstall the installer.

1. Press the Windows key and type Command Prompt
2. Right-click the terminal, and choose Run As Administrator
   

   

3. Type the following commands

   cd %windir%\system32
   attrib -r -s -h dllcache
   ren msi.dll msi.old 
   ren msiexec.exe msiexec.old 
   ren msihnd.dll msihnd.old 
   exit

4. If the Access is Denied error occurs, then open the file explorer and go to Windows, and right-click the System 32
5. Click Properties, then go to Security
6. Click Advanced, then click Change

   

7. Here type the username of your Local or Microsoft account
8. Then click Check Names, then click OK
   

   

9. Now click the Add button from the bottom left
10. Click Select A Principal and again type the username of the local account

    

11. Click OK and tick all the Permissions
    

    

12. Then, click OK and click Apply
13. Click Yes when the warning notification pop-ups
14. Once done, try to execute the above commands and restart your computer.
15. Now download and install the Windows Installer from the link and again restart the computer
16. Once all did, check if the error persists.

5. Update Windows

If the issue persists, you can install the MSI package via Windows update to download and replace the corrupted Windows installer files with fresh ones. Below are the steps:-

1. Press the Windows key and type Check For Updates
   
2. Open the System Update and click Check For Updates to download

   

3. Once the updates are found, download them and install them

   

4. Restart your computer to check if the error persists.

6. Use System Restore

If the above method did not help fix the Msiexec.exe error, you could restore the computer to a previous state. However, it requires a restore point that should be created earlier than you have encountered the error. Here are the steps:-

1. Type rstrui from Start Menu and open the Restore settings

   

2. Click Next to proceed and select a Restore point

   

3. Click Next and click Finish to start the restore process

   

4. Once done, check if the error persists.

7. Reset Your Computer

If, by any chance restoring the Windows to a previous state does not fix this error, either reset or reinstall the Window, which will fix this error. Below we have laid out the steps:-

1. To reset Windows, click Start Menu and type Reset This PC
2. Open the Recovery settings and click Get Started
3. Select Keep My Files and then click Local Reinstall
   

   

4. Then, click Next
5. In the end, click Reset

   

6. This will remove the media files along with drivers. So make sure to create a full backup.