How do I fix "HRESULT: 0x80070002" error when creating a new Visual Studio 2022 project?

Question

I'm trying to create a new c++ project in Visual Studio 2022 IDE, but I can't create any kind of project. I receive the error, "The system cannot find the file specified. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070002)"

I'm creating a new project in a folder that does exist. Shouldn't it create the file when I tell it to start a new project? Why is this error occurring, and how do I fix it?

Answer 1

Hi @Steven Buechele , 

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A! 

Please open the Visual Studio Installer > Modify > Workloads tab > ensure that the Desktop development with C++ workload is installed.

Could you successfully run your Visual Studio 2022 in Safe Mode (run devenv /SafeMode in Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022)? 

If your VS2022 works fine in safe mode, it may be caused by the installed extensions.

Please disable or uninstall the installed extensions under Extensions > Manage Extensions > Installed. 

Then, restart your VS2022 and create project again. 

Besides, you can try to repair your VS2022 via Visual Studio Installer > More > Repair. 

Sincerely,

Anna

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