WhatsApp in W11 keeps stopping with 'permissions' problem

Question

After installation WhatsApps will work for a time and then stop, stating that I don't have permissions or access to the containing folder. I have fixed it several times using all the various suggested steps but it keeps happening. How can it be fixed permanently?

No idea what tag to use, nothing seems to relate to this issue.

Answer 1

To resolve the issue with WhatsApp on Windows 11 stopping due to permissions problems, you can follow these steps to check and adjust the file system and registry permissions:

1. Check File System Permissions:
   • Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where WhatsApp is installed (typically C:\Program Files or C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local).
   • Right-click on the folder, select Properties, then go to the Security tab.
   • Ensure that the All Application Packages group has the necessary permissions (Read, Read & Execute, List folder contents).
2. Adjust Permissions:
   • If permissions are incorrect, select Advanced in the Security tab, then Change permissions.
   • Add the All Application Packages group if it is not listed, and grant it the necessary permissions. Make sure to check the option to replace all child object permissions with inheritable permission entries from this object.
3. Check Registry Permissions:
   • Open the Registry Editor (type regedit in the Start menu).
   • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OLE and ensure that the All Application Packages group has Read permissions.
   • You can also check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers for similar permissions.
4. Group Policy Considerations:
   • If your computer is managed by Group Policy, ensure that there are no policies that might be resetting these permissions. You may need to consult with your IT administrator.
5. Reinstall WhatsApp:
   • If the issue persists, consider uninstalling and then reinstalling WhatsApp to reset any corrupted settings or permissions.

By ensuring that the necessary permissions are correctly set for both the file system and the registry, you should be able to resolve the permissions issue with WhatsApp permanently.

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References:

• Microsoft Store Apps fail to start if default registry or file permissions modified
• How to fix Package Support Framework Filesystem Write Permission errors

Answer 2

I can fix desktop WhatsApp by resetting it and reconnecting but the fix only lasts while the computer is running. On next restart it fails again.
Tried all the suggested fixes as far as possible, some registry entries mentioned simply did not exist. Tried the 'ProcessMonitor' but couldn't make any sense of the results or any idea what I could do with them.