How to Fix “Windows cannot access the specified device” in Fortnite

Are you getting a “Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file” error in Fortnite?

Here’s the second part of the error, “You may not have the appropriate permissions to access this item”.

Here’s an example of the file location, “C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries”.

The error happens after the BattlEye service has started and Fortnite is launching (launching game…).

In this quick guide, you’ll learn how to fix “Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file” in Fortnite.

How to fix “Windows cannot access the specified device” in Fortnite

To fix “Windows cannot access the specified device” in Fortnite, you can try running Epic Games as an administrator or changing Fortnite’s compatibility settings.

You can also try clearing the cache for Fortnite and Epic Games or allowing permissions for Fortnite.

Fix 1: Run Epic Games as an administrator

1. Search for “Epic Games Launcher” using Windows Search.
2. Select “Open file location”.
3. Right-click “Epic Games Launcher” and select “Open file location” again.
4. Right-click “Epic Games Launcher” and select “Properties”.
5. Select “Compatibility” and tick the “Run this program as an administrator” box.
6. Select “Apply” followed by “OK”.

Fix 2: Change Fortnite’s compatibility settings

1. Open the Epic Games Launcher and go to your library.
2. Click on the three dots next to Fortnite and select “Manage”.
3. Click on the file icon to open the install location.
4. FortniteGame > Binaries > Win64.
5. Right-click these apps one-by-one “FortniteLauncher.exe”, “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping”, “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_BE”, and “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_EAC”:
   1. After right-clicking an app, select “Properties”.
   2. Select “Compatibility” and tick “Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 8”.
   3. Untick “Run this program as an administrator”.
   4. Tick “Disable fullscreen optimizations”.
   5. Select “Apply” followed by “OK”.
   6. Repeat the steps until you’ve changed the compatibility settings for all 5 apps.

Fix 3: Clear the cache for Fortnite and Epic Games

1. Press “WIN” + “R” on your keyboard.
2. Search for “%localappdata%” and press enter.
3. Delete “EpicGamesLauncher”, “FortniteGame”, “UnrealEngine”, and “UnrealEngineLauncher”.

Fix 4: Allow permissions for Fortnite

1. Open the Epic Games Launcher and go to your library.
2. Click on the three dots next to Fortnite and select “Manage”.
3. Click on the file icon to open the install location.
4. FortniteGame > Binaries > Win64.
5. Right-click these apps one-by-one “FortniteLauncher.exe”, “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping”, “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_BE”, and “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_EAC”:
   • After right-clicking an app, select “Properties”.
   • Security > Edit > Group or user names.
   • Tick “Full control” for each group or user name.
   • Select “Apply” followed by “OK”.
   • Repeat the steps until you’ve allowed full control for all 5 apps.

Further reading

How to Fix “Login Failed” in Fortnite on Xbox

How to Fix Fortnite Server Offline Error

How to Fix Fortnite Servers Not Responding