Resolve "Can't Find the Specified File" Error While Renaming/Moving a Folder in Windows 10/8/7

There are four methods in total to resolve the "Can't Find the Specified File" error when renaming or moving a folder in Windows 10/8/7. The table below provides an overview of these solutions; for comprehensive steps, please refer to the detailed content.

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Error in renaming/moving folder: Cannot find the specified file! Help!

"I encountered an issue while attempting to rename a file folder on the D: drive. Upon clicking Rename, the system alerted me that 'The file or folder does not exist.' Is there a method to locate the missing files on my computer?"

"When attempting to rename or move a folder on your PC or storage devices and receiving an error message from Windows stating that it cannot find the specified files, what steps can be taken to resolve this issue? Are there any recommended methods?"

If you've encountered a situation similar to the above two issues when attempting to rename or move a file or folder on your storage devices or PC, don't worry. Efficient solutions are available to assist you immediately.

Now, let's see how to resolve the 'can't find the specified file' error on your PC or storage devices:

Method 1: Identify and restore the missing files to their original location

When attempting to rename or move a file or folder on your PC or storage devices, if the system alerts you with 'The file or folder does not exist' or 'Can't find the specified file,' it is likely that the exact files or folder have either been relocated to another location or deleted from your device.

The quickest solution is to locate and restore the missing files to their original location if they cannot be found when attempting to rename or move a file or folder. Here's how you can do it: 1. **Check the Recycle Bin**: First, check if the files or folders have been accidentally deleted. They might be in the Recycle Bin or Trash on your computer. If found, restore them to their original location. 2. **Search Function**: Use the search function on your operating system (Windows Search, Spotlight on Mac, or the search bar on your file explorer) to look for the missing files or folders by typing in their names. 3. **File History (Windows)**: If you're using Windows and have File History enabled, you can restore previous versions of the files or folders. 4. **Time Machine (Mac)**: On a Mac, if Time Machine backups are enabled, you can use it to recover the missing items. 5. **Scan for Hidden Files**: Sometimes, files may become hidden. In your file explorer, enable the option to show hidden files and folders to see if they are there. 6. **Check Recent Items**: Check your recent documents or activities list to see if the files are listed. 7. **Antivirus Scan**: Perform a full system scan with your antivirus software, as the files might have been quarantined due to a malware detection. 8. **System Restore (Windows)**: If none of the above work, consider using System Restore to revert your system to a point before the files went missing. 9. **Data Recovery Tools**: As a last resort, you can use data recovery software to attempt to locate and recover the lost files. Remember, prevention is better than cure. Always keep regular backups of important files to avoid such situations in the future.

Tip 1: Search and locate the exact missing files

1. Right-click on the Windows logo or Start icon, and click Search.
2. Type the name of the missing file or folder that you need to locate in the search bar, then press Enter.
3. Double-click to find the missing files or folder on your computer, and copy them back to the original folder where you intended to rename or move them on your PC or storage device.
4. Lastly, you should now be able to rename or move the file/folder as desired.

Tip 2: Recover lost/missing files/folders

If you haven't been able to locate any missing files or folders using the search function on your computer, you might need to utilize a helpful tool like the Data Recovery Wizard to detect and recover lost files or folders on your PC or storage device. This tool can effectively assist you in resolving the issue.

Step 1. Launch the Data Recovery Wizard tool. Select the drive where you lost your files and initiate the scanning process. This software enables you to recover lost data from various devices, such as HDD, SSD, USB drive, SD card, pen drive, camera, and so on.

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Step 2. Browse the complete scan results. You can select the file type you need by clicking on the file type filter. The data recovery software supports over 1000 file types, including photos, videos, documents, emails, audio files, and many more.

Step 3. Select the files you wish to preview. Click "Recover" and specify a storage location to save the retrieved data.

Now you can place the missing folder or file back in its original location to rename the folder once more.

Method 2: Resolve the "Can't find the specified file" error by Changing the User Profile

Sometimes, when the computer is unable to locate specific files or folders, you can attempt to modify an existing user profile or create a new user profile to check if you can find the missing files or folder on your device or computer.

If you have another user profile, log out and sign in with the other user profile on your computer to see if you can locate the missing files or folder.

If you can't, follow these steps to create a new user account and log in to locate the specified files that your PC cannot find:

Step 1: Enable Administrator Account and Create a New Account

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Command Prompt (Admin); 2. Type: net user administrator /active: yes and press Enter; 3. To reverse this action in the future, use the same command but replace yes with no.

4. This will enable the hidden administrator account on your computer and restart the computer. Sign into this new account.

Step 2: Create a New Account - New User Profile Account

1. Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users; 2. Click on "Add someone else to this PC" and proceed with the on-screen instructions to finish the setup; 3. If you wish to create a local account rather than a Microsoft account, select "I don't have this person's sign-in info" followed by "Add a user without a Microsoft account."

Step 3: Sign in with your new account and locate the missing files.

Method 3: Use PowerShell to Resolve the 'File Not Found' Error for Renaming a File Folder

1. Press the Windows key and type "Powershell" in the search bar. Right-click on the Powershell icon and select "Run as administrator."
2. In the Powershell window, type the following command and press Enter:
3.  Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*SystemApps*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Method 4: Modify the Registry to resolve the 'Can't find specified file' error

Note: Before making changes to the Registry, export and back up Registry files in case of unexpected file loss or program function errors.

1. Press Windows + R and enter: regedit, then press Enter or click OK. 2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and expand to find RunOnce. If it's not available, create a new one by right-clicking on CurrentVersion > New > Key. 3. Rename the key as RunOnce and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\. Expand the key to check if RunOnce exists. If not, repeat the process to create a new one. 4. Close Registry and restart your PC.