How to fix "Extracting files to the temporary location" error 1152 in Windows?

Error 1152, "Error extracting to the temporary location", comes from installers built with InstallShield. The setup file tried to unpack itself into your TEMP folder and at least one file failed. Most often the download is incomplete, so get a fresh copy of the installer and run it from your own disk first.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What "1152: Error extracting to the temporary location" means

Many programs ship as one compressed setup.exe. When you start it, the file first unpacks its contents into the Windows TEMP folder and only then runs the real installer from there. The InstallShield maker describes error 1152 as the case where "one or more files cannot be extracted" during that first step.

The message names the file that failed. A real example from one software maker's help page reads: "1152: Error extracting Diamonds 2017.msi to the temporary location". On your PC the file name will be different, and that is fine. The number 1152 and the words "to the temporary location" are what identify this error.

Why the setup cannot extract its files

Most often the setup.exe is incomplete or damaged, usually because the download broke off. Less often the TEMP folder cannot be written to, or the drive that holds it is full. Rarely, security software holds the unpacked files while it scans them.

How to fix error 1152 extracting to the temporary location

Fixes 1 and 2 deal with the setup file and solve most cases. Fixes 3 to 5 make sure the TEMP folder can take the unpacked files. Fixes 6 to 8 are general checks for what is left.

Fix 1. Download the installer again from the program's maker

5 minutesNo riskYou downloaded the setup file, and only this one program shows error 1152.

The InstallShield maker names corrupted files as a cause and tells you to download and run the installation again. One software maker's own help page says the same about its 1152 error: the downloaded .exe file is not complete.

1. Delete the setup file you already have, so you do not run the old copy by mistake.
2. Open the download page on the program maker's own website. Avoid mirror and download portal sites.
3. Download the installer again and wait until the browser says the download is complete.
4. Right-click the new file, select Properties and compare Size with the size on the download page, if the page gives one.
5. Double-click the file and select Yes if Windows asks for permission.

Fix 2. Copy the setup to a local folder and run it from there

5 minutesNo riskThe installer is on a network drive, a USB stick, a DVD, or you opened it inside a ZIP file.

The InstallShield maker says that if the installation runs from a network location, you should try running it locally. A file read over a slow or broken connection can fail halfway through the extraction.

1. Create a short folder on the C drive, for example C:\Install.
2. Copy the setup file, and every file that came with it, into that folder.
3. If the installer came in a ZIP file, right-click the ZIP, select Extract All and extract it into C:\Install.
4. Open C:\Install and double-click the setup file there.

Keep the folder name short and without special characters. A path such as C:\Install\setup.exe leaves nothing for the setup to trip over.

Fix 3. Check that your TEMP folder exists and can be written to

10 minutesNo riskEvery InstallShield setup fails, or Fix 1 and Fix 2 did not help.

This is the first fix in the InstallShield maker's article: verify that the TEMP folder is writable. If TEMP points to a folder that is gone, read-only or locked for your account, the setup has nowhere to unpack its files.

1. Press Win + R, type cmd and press Enter.
2. Type set T and press Enter. The lines TEMP= and TMP= show the folder your setup uses.
3. Press Win + R, type %TEMP% and press Enter. If File Explorer cannot find the folder, it is missing.
4. In File Explorer, go one level up, right-click the Temp folder and select Properties.
5. On the General tab, check that Read-only is not ticked.
6. Open the Security tab, select your user name and check that Write has a tick under Allow.

The usual TEMP folder for your account

C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Local\Temp

On folders, the Read-only box often shows a filled square instead of a tick. Windows labels it as applying only to files in the folder, so it does not block the setup. If Write is missing for your account, use Fix 4 instead of changing the permissions.

Fix 4. Give the setup a fresh TEMP folder for one run

5 minutesNo riskFix 3 showed a missing or locked TEMP folder, or TEMP points to a long or unusual path.

The setup unpacks into whatever folder the TEMP variable names. Setting TEMP inside one Command Prompt window changes it for programs started from that window only, so you can test a clean, empty folder without touching Windows settings.

1. Copy the setup file to C:\Install as in Fix 2.
2. Press Win + R, type cmd and press Enter.
3. Type the four lines below one by one and press Enter after each. The last line starts the setup.
4. Let the setup finish, then close the Command Prompt window.
5. Delete the folder C:\Setup1152 when the program is installed.

Run in one Command Prompt window

mkdir C:\Setup1152
set TEMP=C:\Setup1152
set TMP=C:\Setup1152
"C:\Install\setup.exe"

Replace setup.exe with the real name of your installer. When the window closes, TEMP goes back to its normal value by itself. Nothing is changed for other programs or other accounts.

Fix 5. Free up disk space and clear the temporary files

10 minutesLow riskThe C drive is nearly full, or the TEMP folder holds a lot of old files.

The InstallShield maker lists too little disk space as the second cause and tells you to clean the default TEMP folder and free as much space as possible on that drive. A setup can need several times its own size while it unpacks.

1. Select Start > Settings > System > Storage and read how much space is free on the C drive.
2. Select Temporary files and wait for Windows to list what it can remove.
3. Tick the types you do not need. Leave Downloads unticked unless you have checked that folder, because it may hold the installer itself.
4. Select Remove files and run the setup again.

Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup, with screenshots for Windows 11 and Windows 10: Free up disk space and delete temporary files

Fix 6. Run the setup as administrator

2 minutesNo riskYou use a standard account, or the setup is for a program that installs for all users.

The InstallShield maker says the user running the setup must have permission to write to the TEMP folder. Starting the setup as administrator gives it the rights to write where it needs to.

1. Right-click the setup file in C:\Install.
2. Select Run as administrator.
3. Select Yes, or enter an administrator password if Windows asks for it.

On Windows 11 the short right-click menu may hide some commands behind Show more options. Run as administrator is usually in the short menu. More: How to run a program as administrator or in compatibility mode

Fix 7. Try the setup in a clean boot

15 minutesLow riskAll fixes above failed and the PC runs many background programs.

A Microsoft support answer for error 1152 suggests a clean boot. With only Microsoft services running, no background program can hold the files the setup is unpacking.

1. Open System Configuration. Select Search on the taskbar, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.
2. Hide Microsoft services. On the Services tab, select the Hide all Microsoft services check box. Only services from other companies stay in the list.

   

3. Disable the remaining services. Select Disable all, then select Apply.
4. Open Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.

   

5. Disable the startup apps. On the Startup apps tab in Task Manager, select each item whose status is Enabled and select Disable. Write down or take a screenshot of the items you disable: you need the list to turn them back on.

   

6. Confirm the changes. Close Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK.
7. Restart and test. Restart the PC. Windows now starts in a clean boot environment: try again the thing that failed (run the app, install the update, uninstall the program).

These steps were written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Run the setup while the PC is in the clean boot state. When the program is installed, undo the clean boot as the procedure describes, so your other programs start again.

Fix 8. Pause third-party antivirus for one attempt

5 minutesLow riskYou use security software other than Microsoft Defender and every fix above has failed.

Real-time scanning opens each file as it is written. If it holds an unpacked file for too long, the setup cannot finish writing it. Do this only with an installer from the maker's own site.

1. Pause real-time protection in your antivirus for the shortest time it offers.
2. Run the setup from C:\Install.
3. Turn protection back on as soon as the setup has unpacked, even if it worked.

How to pause and restart protection safely: Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment

If error 1152 is still there: what to check and send

The message itself is the most useful clue. It names the one file that failed to unpack. If it is always the same file, the setup.exe is the likely problem. If every installer fails, look at your PC.

• Event Viewer. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc, open Windows Logs > Application and look for red Error entries at the time you ran the setup.
• A screenshot of the message with the file name, the setup file's name and size, and where you downloaded it.
• Your Windows version from winver, and whether the account is an administrator.
• Send it to the program's maker, not to Microsoft. Only the maker can give you a new installer or a different download link.

If even copying large files to the C drive fails, or File Explorer reports read errors, the drive itself may be failing. Check it for errors with Check a disk for errors (chkdsk) and back up your files before you do anything else.

How to avoid error 1152 next time

Frequently asked questions

What is error 1152?

Error 1152 is an InstallShield run time error. It appears when a compressed setup.exe tries to unpack its files into the Windows TEMP folder and at least one file cannot be extracted. The message reads "1152: Error extracting" followed by a file name and "to the temporary location". The InstallShield maker names three causes: the TEMP folder cannot be written to, the drive has too little free space, or the files are corrupted, often because the download broke off. It is not a Windows error code, so Windows Update does not fix it.

Is error 1152 a problem with Windows or with the program?

Usually with the setup file of the program. InstallShield is a tool that software makers use to build installers, so the same error shows up with tax, accounting, engineering and driver installers. If only one program fails, download its installer again (Fix 1). If every InstallShield setup on your PC fails, the cause is on your PC, most often the TEMP folder or a full drive (Fix 3 to Fix 5).

What does "1152 error al extraer a la ubicación temporal" mean, for example with SUA?

It is the same error in Spanish: the setup could not extract a file to the temporary location. Readers who search for it often install SUA, the employer contribution program of Mexico's social security institute IMSS. We could not confirm a cause specific to SUA, so the fixes on this page apply. Download the SUA installer again from IMSS's own site, copy it to C:\Install, run it from there as administrator, and check the TEMP folder and free space if it still fails.

What does "terjadi error (1152)" mean, and is it the same in other languages?

"Terjadi error (1152)" is Indonesian for "an error (1152) occurred". People also search for it as помилка (1152) in Ukrainian, ошибка 1152 in Russian, 1152錯誤 or 錯誤1152 in Chinese and ข้อผิดพลาด 1152 in Thai. If the message appears while a setup.exe starts and mentions a temporary location, it is the same InstallShield error and the fixes here apply. We could not confirm the exact translated wording of each message, so compare the number and the moment it appears.

Should I give the Everyone group full control of C:\Windows\Temp?

No. That advice is common, including in an older version of this guide, but the InstallShield maker does not ask for it. It only says that the user running the setup needs write permission to the TEMP folder. Full control for Everyone on a system folder lets any program change files there. Check your own account's Write permission (Fix 3), or give the setup a new empty folder for one run (Fix 4). Both solve the same problem without opening up Windows.

Does clearing the TEMP folder fix error 1152?

Sometimes. Clearing temporary files helps when the drive is nearly full, which the InstallShield maker lists as a cause. It does not help when the setup file itself is incomplete, and one reader on Microsoft's forum reported that deleting the temp folder contents changed nothing. Start with a fresh download (Fix 1). Clear temporary files with Storage Sense or Disk Cleanup if the C drive has little space left (Fix 5).

Why does error 1152 appear with every program I try to install?

When every setup fails, the shared part is the TEMP folder. Open a Command Prompt and type set T to see where TEMP points. If that folder is missing, read-only or not writable for your account, every InstallShield setup fails at the same step. Fix 3 shows how to check it, and Fix 4 runs one setup with a new, empty TEMP folder. If both look fine, free up space on the drive (Fix 5).

Can a damaged download cause error 1152 even if the file opens?

Yes. A setup.exe can start and show its first box even when the end of the file is missing, because the packed files come after the part that runs. The error then appears when the setup reaches the missing part. One software maker's help page names an incomplete download as the cause of its own 1152 error. Download the file again and compare its size with the size on the download page (Fix 1).

Does error 1152 mean my hard drive is failing?

Rarely. In most cases the drive is fine and the cause is the setup file, the TEMP folder or free space. Suspect the drive only when other copy jobs also fail, File Explorer reports read errors, or the PC freezes when it opens large files. Then back up your files first and check the drive for errors as described under "If error 1152 is still there".