Have you ever encountered the error message “Make sure your temp folder is valid” when you install an application or restart your computer? This article from
MiniTool
gives you several useful ways to help you get rid of this error.
“Make sure your temp folder is valid” is a common NSIS error in Windows, and here you can see a true example from tenforums.com:
So, all of a sudden, a program or two will not run nor can I install a new version of CCleaner as well. I get a pop-up error message of "Error writing temporary file. Make sure your temp folder is valid" at each attempt to run or install CCleaner.
I am here because you guys know how to fix any Win 10 problems. So, I hope you can help me once again.
tenforums.com
To fix this issue, you need to get some information about it including the common reasons why this error message appears.
What Is NSIS Error Writing Temporary File and Why It Occurs
In general, the “writing temporary file” NSIS error appears when you try to run an installer file, uninstall an application, and restart the computer. This message indicates that Windows cannot read or write inside the temp folder.
Nullsoft Scriptable Install System
(NSIS) errors indicate that the .EXE file of an application has become corrupted for various reasons, thus, affecting the Windows Installer file and making it impossible to make changes to the application.
There are a variety of reasons why this error occurs, and here you can see the common causes for it.
The temporary file is corrupted.
A misconfiguration in the temp folder prevents you from accessing the temp folder.
Your computer is infected by viruses or there is malware in the PC.
The installer is pirated. An incorrect installer can also result in the error message “Make sure your temp folder is valid”.
How to Fix Make Sure Your Temp Folder Is Valid in Windows 10/11
After knowing what the “NSIS error writing temporary file” is, now you can see a couple of ways listed below to help you get rid of it.
Fix 1. Configure Temporary Files Permissions
When temporary folders are set to the read-only mode, you may receive an error message saying “Error writing temporary file. Make sure your temp folder is valid”. In this case, you need to disable the read-only mode and give your temp files permissions.
Step 1. Press
Windows + E
key combinations to open File Explorer.
Step 2. Navigate to this location:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local
(Remember to replace the username with your actual
username
).
Step 3. Find and right-click the
Temp
folder and select
Properties
.
Step 4. Under the
Security
tab, select your username and click
Edit
.
Step 5. Check
Allow
next to
Full control
and click
OK
to save all the changes.
Step 6. Restart your computer to check whether the issue has been fixed.
When there are too many temporary files and cached data in your computer, you may encounter the problem of “temp folder is not valid”. In this situation, you can delete temp files manually.
Step 1. Press
Windows + R
keyboard shortcuts to open Run.
Step 2. Type
%temp%
in the input box and press
Enter
.
Step 3. Press
Ctrl + A
key combinations to select all files. Then right-click them to select
Delete
.
Step 4. Reboot your device and check whether the NSIS error persists.
Fix 3. Re-Download and Install the Application
The pirated installer may contain malware that causes Windows to display the "Make sure your temp folder is valid" error. In this case, please re-download the application from the software's official website and try to install it again.
Tip:
Windows Defender is a signature-based antimalware system that scans files, fixes threats, and lists detected threats in your organization's security report and Windows Security. It is recommended that you
turn on Windows Defender
to protect your system.
Some users reported that they successfully resolved the "Make sure your temp folder is valid" error message by compressing the .EXE file into a compressed folder. So, you can try this method by following the steps below.
Step 1. Open File Explorer. According to the name of the installation package, find the installer file that prompts the NSIS error by
using the search tool in File Explorer
.
Step 2. Right-click the .EXE file and select
Send to
>
Compressed (zipped) folder
.
Step 3. Open the zipped folder and launch the installer file again.
Fix 5. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Failure to install applications can be caused by memory-related issues. At this point, you should
run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool
to resolve the “NSIS error writing temporary file” issue. This tool scans your computer's physical memory and helps you identify possible errors.
Tip:
Using the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool requires restarting your computer. So, you need to save any open documents before using this tool.
The steps to launch the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to troubleshoot your computer are very simple.
Step 1. Type
Windows Memory Diagnostic
in the Windows search box and click it from the best match result.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, choose
Restart now and check for problems (recommended)
or
Check for problems the next time I start my computer
based on your needs.
Many Windows problems are likely to be caused by third-party application blocking. And performing a clean boot will start your device with a minimal number of drivers and startup applications, so you will know if the problem of "Make sure you temp folder is valid" is due to a third-party application. If yes, you can uninstall the corresponding program to get rid of the error.
Here you can see how to perform a clean boot.
Tip:
Clean Boot is for troubleshooting only and will never delete your files and programs.
Step 1. Press
Windows + R
key combinations and type
msconfig
in the text box. Then press
Enter
.
Step 2. Check
Hide all Microsoft services
first and then click
Disable all
.
Step 3. Go to the
Startup
section and click
Open Task Manager
.
Step 4. Select the application you want to disable and click
Disable
. Then repeat the steps to disable multiple applications.
Step 5. Restart your computer to ensure the “Make sure your temp folder is valid” error has been addressed.
Note:
In the factory reset process, you can choose to keep your files or remove them. In case of wrong operations, it is recommended that you use the
free data backup software
to back up your files in advance.
Here you can follow the steps below to reset your PC.
Step 1. Press
Windows + I
key combinations to open Windows Settings.
Step 2. Click
Update & Security
>
Recovery
. Then click
Get started
under
Reset this PC
.
Step 3. In the pop-up window, choose the corresponding option to keep your files or not.
Step 4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process. And check whether the NSIS error still exists.
How to Recover Deleted Windows Temporary Files
I believe you have fixed the “Make sure your temp folder is valid” error by applying the methods above. Now I am going to talk about how to recover deleted Windows temporary files. Because you may mistakenly delete needed temp files in Fix 2 and lots of users are troubled by recovering deleted temp files, and this is a true example:
How to restore an accidentally deleted temporary installation folder? I can tell that I accidentally deleted the temporary installation folder. So where shall I put it and should it have specific permissions? Oh, and what was it named?
answers.microsoft.com
You can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery, the
best data recovery software
, to recover your deleted temp files. This software is recommended due to its secure data recovery services.
This software supports recovering various kinds of files including pictures, videos, audio, documents, etc. from internal hard drives, external hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, USB flash drives, and more. You can run it on Windows 11/10/8/7.
You can first try MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition to scan the target drive and see if it can find the temp files you want to recover. You can also use this freeware to recover 1GB of files.
Step 1. Download, install, and launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get its main interface.
Step 2. Under the
Logical Drives
tab, select the target partition containing the files you want to scan and recover (Here we take the C drive for example because the default location path of the Windows temp folder is
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local
). Then click
Scan
.
Wait for the scan process to complete (recommended). Then you can filter found files by file type, file category, file size, and date modified. At the same time, you can also make use of the
Search
feature to locate your needed files by name if you know part of or the whole file name of your files.
Step 3. Preview and select all needed files and click the
Save
button to restore them in a safe place (Do not store them in the original path in case of
data overwriting
).
Now you can see the recovered Windows temp files in the location path you chose.
Tip:
MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition can help you recover 1GB of data for free. To recover unlimited files, you are suggested to upgrade to the
Professional edition
. By the way, you can use the Professional edition to
recover files when the PC won’t boot
.
In a word, this post talks about how to get rid of the error message "Make sure your temp folder is valid" and how to recover deleted Windows temporary files using free file recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery. Hope you can resolve the issue or
recover deleted files
successfully.
If you have any questions or suggestions when using MiniTool Power Data Recovery, please feel free to leave your comments in the comment area below, or you can send emails to
[email protected]
. We will deal with them as soon as possible.
NSIS Error Writing Temporary File FAQ
Where is the Windows temporary folder stored?
Windows temp folder is stored in this location typically:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local
.
Is it safe to delete Windows temp files?
Generally speaking, all files in the temporary folder are only locations to hold information temporarily. So, they can be safely deleted. If you want to restore them, you can try using
MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition
to get them back.
Will a clean boot delete my files?
A clean boot of a PC or Mac is simply a way to boot into Windows with only the necessary drivers and startup applications. It helps troubleshoot problems installing, launching, or accessing game content. Your files and applications will not be deleted.
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