How to fix
Error Code 0x80040304 When Trying to Delete Files
on Windows

I’m not allowed to delete files on my PC. I receive an error code 0x80040304 each time. The situation makes me really annoyed… Please help!

Error Code 0x80040304 is one of the Windows 10 bugs, which may emerge on any of the Windows OS versions. As many users have reported, it tends to show up on the screen when trying to delete files. Unfortunately, but computer owners did not specify what kind of files are not allowed to remove as it would help to specify and fix the issue easier. In case none of the files, including Word, Excel, PDF, Video, .exe, Windows system files, etc. cannot be deleted, it might be assumed then that the 0x80040304 error may be triggered by damaged system files. The corruption of files might have been influenced by an incomplete installation of a software or Windows update, incorrect removal of software, hardware failure, installation of a new antivirus, recent virus/malware attack, and similar. Consequently, some of the system files might have got corrupt leading to the incorrect perception of commands and the malfunction of system’s functions.

If you are encountering a 0x80040304 bug when trying to delete a particular file, for example, .exe file or the one that is placed in the system folders, it might be that you need to have the administrative rights to remove it. Therefore, we will provide several fixes so that you could apply them according to the circumstances the error 0x80040304 emerges.

How to Fix Error Code 0x80040304 When Trying to Delete Files on Windows 10?

As we have already pointed out, 0x80040304 bug check may be triggered by corrupted system files or the lack of administrative rights to delete a particular file. First of all, you should try to perform simple steps to restore damaged system files. If, however, this method fails to help you, skip to the method 2.

Method 1.Fix Damaged System Files

To work around 0x80040304 error, try to restore system’s files. For this purpose, we would recommend you to install [d1] and run a thorough scan with it. This piece of software has a whole list of Windows files, which is why it is capable of replacing damaged ones easily. Besides, this optimizer has an inbuilt Avira Antivir scanner, what means that it will also check for virus/malware. If, however, you are not willing to use additional software, you should run SFC scan and DISM tool. For this purpose, do the following:

• Click Win key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
• Type sfc /scannow command and press Enter.
• Then type the following commands and hit Enter after each of them:
  DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
  DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Close Command Prompt and reboot the system.

To fix Error Code 0x80040304 and get the ability to delete files again, you may try to restore the system to the previous point. However, this option is available only if you have a restore point created when the system was functioning taintless. For this purpose, you should:

• Click Win key and type Create a Restore point in the search bar.
• Select System Protection on the new window.
• Click on System Restore and then hit Next.
• Select the last Restore point that you have created and then click Next.
• Click Finish and wait for the system to restore. After that, restart the system.

Fix 2. Access Group Policy Editor and modify some settings

To get the ability to delete particular files on your OS, you should open Group Policy Editor using administrative privileges and modify the settings. For this purpose, try doing the following:

• Click on Win key and type gpedit.msc.
• Right-click on the search result, and select Run as Administrator.
• Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Data and Preview Builds.
• Find Allow Telemetry on the right pane and double-click it.
• Select Enabled.
• Then find the drop down menu on the Options and select Full.
• Click OK to save the changes.
• Double-click on Allow Telemetry in the Group Policy Editor.
• Select Not Configured and hit OK.
• Close Group Policy Editor and try to delete the file/-s that thrown an error code 0x80040304 before.