error 0x80071772: the specified is encrypted and the user

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. Dealing with error 0x80071772 can be super annoying, mainly when you're just trying to get into some files. This happens because the file you're trying to open is encrypted with Encrypting File System (EFS), and Windows says your account doesn't have the right key or permission to open it.

If someone else encrypted the file, or it was encrypted on a different computer, your account probably can't access the EFS certificate that was used. So, Windows won't let you open it.

Here's how to fix it

First, see if the person who encrypted the file can either decrypt it for you or give you their EFS certificate and key. If that doesn't work, you'll need someone setup as a recovery agent in your domain to decrypt the file.

If you encrypted the file on another computer, get the EFS certificate and private key from that computer (use the Certificates thingy under Personal → Certificates) and then put it on your current machine. After you do that, Windows should be able to decrypt the file.

Once you've moved the certificate, try opening the file again. Windows should automatically use the key and let you open the file without that 0x80071772 error.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Noel

The error code 0x80071772 indicates that the specified file is encrypted, and the user does not have the ability to decrypt it. This typically occurs when a file has been encrypted using the Encrypting File System (EFS) and the current user does not have the necessary permissions or keys to access the encrypted content.

To resolve this issue, the user who encrypted the file must decrypt it, or a designated recovery agent must perform the decryption. If you are trying to access a file and encounter this error, ensure that you have the appropriate permissions and that the file is not encrypted by another user.

If you are working in an environment where files are frequently encrypted, consider checking the recovery policy and ensuring that the necessary recovery certificates are valid and available.