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Error 1324: The Folder Path Contains an Invalid Character

Error 1324: The Folder Path Contains an Invalid Character

By Mitch Bartlett 6 Comments

When installing an application in Windows, you might get “Error 1324 The Folder Path Contains an Invalid Character“. This is usually caused by an invalid character in the User Profile.

Fix 1 – Install Under Different Profile

See if you can install the software using a different user account. This fix seems to do the trick for most.

  1. Hold the Windows Key and press “R” to bring up the Run dialog.
  2. Type “logoff“, then press “Enter“.
  3. Try to login with a new user (if available). If you don’t have another account, you can try to create a new one.
  4. Attempt to install the software again.

Fix 2 – Fix Shell Folders Via Registry

  1. Hold the Windows Key and press “R” to bring up the Run dialog.
  2. Type “regedit“, then press “Enter“. The Registry Editor appears.
  3. Navigate to the following location in the Windows Registry:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER
    • Software
    • Microsoft
    • Windows
    • CurrentVersion
    • Explorer
    • Shell Folders
  4. Open the “Personal” value and make sure that the “Value data” is set to “C:\Users\<username>\my documents“. Where it says <username> would be your actual username. For example, if you username is “jsmith“, you would want the value to say “C:\Users\jsmith\my documents“
  5. Repeat these steps each of the following registry keys:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders
    • KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion
    • KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Shell Folders
    • KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders
  6. Close the Registry Editor, then restart your computer.
  7. Attempt to install the software again.

Fix 3 – Remove Invalid Character from Registry

Microsoft has a suggestion that says to remove the invalid character from the registry if you’re aware of what the invalid character is.

You can search the Windows registry for the invalid character that is displayed in the 1324 error message and replace all instances of the invalid character with the correct character. For example, if the 1324 error message refers to “system32/”, you should search for “system32/”. If you find any instances in the registry, modify them, so that the registry values correctly reference the System32 folder.

  1. Hold the Windows Key and press “R” to bring up the Run dialog.
  2. Type “regedit“, then press “Enter“. The Registry Editor appears.
  3. Select “Edit” > “Find“.
  4. Type the invalid character in the “Find What” box, then select “Find Next“.
  5. If the invalid character is found, change it. Press F3 to continue searching.
  6. Attempt to install the software again.

Fix 4 – Unhide the Drive

If you’re in an educational or corporate environment, Group Policy may be used to set the Home directories and hide the drive. I have seen this cause issues with software installations. Ensure the Home drive is not set to a hidden drive, and the software should install just fine.

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Filed Under: Windows Tagged With: Windows 10

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris Fry says

    April 15, 2022 at 10:58 am

    I edited the registry and corrected about 40 places where there was a quesion mark before the word ‘program’
    I then tried to install Microsoft Office 2013 Professional Plus from the image file (*.img) that I had used to install it on the old computer.
    It didn’t work even though Office 2013 no longer appears in the list of programs on the start button nor on the apps in Settings

  2. Edu Leon says

    March 27, 2022 at 7:50 am

    Run a regfix program and it will fix the regedit errors Try with – JetCleanPortable

  3. Katina Woolgar says

    January 5, 2022 at 11:20 am

    This did not help, still getting error 1324, the path ?windows contains and invalid character
    What am I doing wrong, I have changed laptops and transferred my previous version of Greeting Card Factory through PC Mover.
    I cannot install or uninstall the new version of Greeting Card Factory Deluxe Version 11 without getting the same message as above.
    Please help.

    Thank you

  4. Shawn Dishop says

    April 15, 2021 at 7:58 am

    Thankyou! I edited my registry successfully – first time doing that for me.

  5. roy says

    April 8, 2019 at 1:11 am

    was getting this error code attempting to install some programs
    path 000 macrim contains invalid character
    so tried to upgrade … no go … then tried to uninstall … same error code
    so last resort, process of following your instructions above
    got to here
    KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders
    noticed 2 entries with Value data: that looked identical to my error code
    common programs – E:\000 maCrim\Start Menu\Programs
    common startup – E:\000 maCrim\Start Menu\Programs\0 junk\Startup
    sooooo I backed up that section of registry and deleted both scripts …
    tried again to update Macrim … and some other programs not installing …
    PROBLEM SOLVED … nooooobie luck
    disclaimer: no registry files were injured during the process
    thanks for your assistance … Roy

  6. Henk Beumers says

    December 23, 2018 at 8:27 am

    I tried to use solution 2.
    The first two were set to Documents in stead of my documents.
    In the third one “KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion” there was no personal value. Just a standard value. So I let it be.
    The other ones were alright.
    After restart the error 1324 was still there.

    Do I have to change the standard value to my documents also?

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Baby and Daddy My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

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