How to fix Error 1340 on Windows 11

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Why This Error Happens

Error 1340 occurs when Windows cannot correctly propagate inherited permissions from a parent folder or registry key down to its child objects. This is typically caused by a broken permission inheritance chain, a corrupted Security Descriptor in the file system or registry, or insufficient administrative privileges to read/write the ACL metadata. It frequently surfaces during software installations, Windows Updates, or when running icacls/takeown operations on system-protected folders.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

Step 1: Run the Operation with Elevated Administrator Rights

  • Right-click Command Prompt or PowerShell and select “Run as administrator.”
  • Standard user tokens, even in an Admin group, often lack the SeRestorePrivilege needed to rebuild inherited ACEs — elevation resolves this in most cases.
  • Re-attempt the failing installer or command after elevation.

Step 2: Reset Inherited Permissions on the Target Object

  • Open Command Prompt (Admin) and navigate to the parent directory of the problematic folder/file.
  • Run: icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" /reset /T /C
  • The /T flag applies recursively to all subfolders/files; /C continues past any individual object errors instead of halting.
  • If the error involves a registry key, use regedit, right-click the key → Permissions → Advanced → check “Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permissions from this object.”

Step 3: Take Ownership of the Affected Object

  • If resetting permissions alone doesn’t work, ownership may be locked to a deleted SID or a different user profile.
  • Run: takeown /F "C:\Path\To\Folder" /R /D Y
  • Follow immediately with: icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" /grant Administrators:F /T
  • This forces ownership to the local Administrators group before re-applying inheritance.

Step 4: Run SFC and DISM to Rule Out System File Corruption

  • Corrupted system files can prevent the Security Reference Monitor from writing new ACEs correctly.
  • Run: sfc /scannow
  • Follow with: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  • Restart Windows 11 after both scans complete, then retry the original action that triggered Error 1340.

Step 5: Check for Third-Party Antivirus or Group Policy Interference

  • Some antivirus software or restrictive Group Policy Objects (GPOs) intercept ACL write operations, causing them to silently fail.
  • Temporarily disable third-party AV real-time protection and retry.
  • Check gpedit.msc under Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > File System for any conflicting policies that override permission inheritance.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the fix: Re-run icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" (without modifiers) to confirm the ACL entries now display “(I)” flags, indicating inheritance was successfully restored.
  • Alternative solution: If the object remains corrupted, boot into Safe Mode, take ownership from there (bypassing locked file handles), or restore the specific file/folder from a File History/System Restore backup point predating the corruption.