7 Ways to Fix Make Sure Your Temp Folder Is Valid

“Make sure your temp folder is valid” is a common NSIS error in Windows, and here you can see a true example from tenforums.com:

So, all of a sudden, a program or two will not run nor can I install a new version of CCleaner as well. I get a pop-up error message of "Error writing temporary file. Make sure your temp folder is valid" at each attempt to run or install CCleaner.

I am here because you guys know how to fix any Win 10 problems. So, I hope you can help me once again.

tenforums.com

To fix this issue, you need to get some information about it including the common reasons why this error message appears.

What Is NSIS Error Writing Temporary File and Why It Occurs

In general, the “writing temporary file” NSIS error appears when you try to run an installer file, uninstall an application, and restart the computer. This message indicates that Windows cannot read or write inside the temp folder.

Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) errors indicate that the .EXE file of an application has become corrupted for various reasons, thus, affecting the Windows Installer file and making it impossible to make changes to the application.

There are a variety of reasons why this error occurs, and here you can see the common causes for it.

• The temporary file is corrupted.
• A misconfiguration in the temp folder prevents you from accessing the temp folder.
• Your computer is infected by viruses or there is malware in the PC.
• The installer is pirated. An incorrect installer can also result in the error message “Make sure your temp folder is valid”.

How to Fix Make Sure Your Temp Folder Is Valid in Windows 10/11

After knowing what the “NSIS error writing temporary file” is, now you can see a couple of ways listed below to help you get rid of it.

Fix 1. Configure Temporary Files Permissions

When temporary folders are set to the read-only mode, you may receive an error message saying “Error writing temporary file. Make sure your temp folder is valid”. In this case, you need to disable the read-only mode and give your temp files permissions.

Step 1. Press Windows + E key combinations to open File Explorer.

Step 2. Navigate to this location: C:\Users\username\AppData\Local (Remember to replace the username with your actual username).

Step 3. Find and right-click the Temp folder and select Properties.

Step 4. Under the Security tab, select your username and click Edit.

Step 5. Check Allow next to Full control and click OK to save all the changes.

Step 6. Restart your computer to check whether the issue has been fixed.

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Fix 2. Delete Temporary Files Manually

When there are too many temporary files and cached data in your computer, you may encounter the problem of “temp folder is not valid”. In this situation, you can delete temp files manually.

Step 1. Press Windows + R keyboard shortcuts to open Run.

Step 2. Type %temp% in the input box and press Enter.

Step 3. Press Ctrl + A key combinations to select all files. Then right-click them to select Delete.

Step 4. Reboot your device and check whether the NSIS error persists.

Fix 3. Re-Download and Install the Application

The pirated installer may contain malware that causes Windows to display the “Make sure your temp folder is valid” error. In this case, please re-download the application from the software’s official website and try to install it again.

Fix 4. Compress the Installer File

Some users reported that they successfully resolved the “Make sure your temp folder is valid” error message by compressing the .EXE file into a compressed folder. So, you can try this method by following the steps below.

Step 1. Open File Explorer. According to the name of the installation package, find the installer file that prompts the NSIS error by using the search tool in File Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click the .EXE file and select Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder.

Step 3. Open the zipped folder and launch the installer file again.

Fix 5. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

Failure to install applications can be caused by memory-related issues. At this point, you should run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to resolve the “NSIS error writing temporary file” issue. This tool scans your computer’s physical memory and helps you identify possible errors.

The steps to launch the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to troubleshoot your computer are very simple.

Step 1. Type Windows Memory Diagnostic in the Windows search box and click it from the best match result.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, choose Restart now and check for problems (recommended) or Check for problems the next time I start my computer based on your needs.

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Fix 6. Perform a Clean Boot

Many Windows problems are likely to be caused by third-party application blocking. And performing a clean boot will start your device with a minimal number of drivers and startup applications, so you will know if the problem of “Make sure you temp folder is valid” is due to a third-party application. If yes, you can uninstall the corresponding program to get rid of the error.

Here you can see how to perform a clean boot.

Step 1. Press Windows + R key combinations and type msconfig in the text box. Then press Enter.

Step 2. Check Hide all Microsoft services first and then click Disable all.

Step 3. Go to the Startup section and click Open Task Manager.

Step 4. Select the application you want to disable and click Disable. Then repeat the steps to disable multiple applications.

Step 5. Restart your computer to ensure the “Make sure your temp folder is valid” error has been addressed.

Fix 7. Reset the Computer

If all the methods listed above do not work, you may need to factory reset your computer to fix the NSIS error.

Here you can follow the steps below to reset your PC.

Step 1. Press Windows + I key combinations to open Windows Settings.

Step 2. Click Update & Security > Recovery. Then click Get started under Reset this PC.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, choose the corresponding option to keep your files or not.

Step 4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process. And check whether the NSIS error still exists.

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How to Recover Deleted Windows Temporary Files

I believe you have fixed the “Make sure your temp folder is valid” error by applying the methods above. Now I am going to talk about how to recover deleted Windows temporary files. Because you may mistakenly delete needed temp files in Fix 2 and lots of users are troubled by recovering deleted temp files, and this is a true example:

How to restore an accidentally deleted temporary installation folder? I can tell that I accidentally deleted the temporary installation folder. So where shall I put it and should it have specific permissions? Oh, and what was it named?

answers.microsoft.com

You can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery, the best data recovery software, to recover your deleted temp files. This software is recommended due to its secure data recovery services.

This software supports recovering various kinds of files including pictures, videos, audio, documents, etc. from internal hard drives, external hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, USB flash drives, and more. You can run it on Windows 11/10/8/7.

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You can first try MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition to scan the target drive and see if it can find the temp files you want to recover. You can also use this freeware to recover 1GB of files.

Step 1. Download, install, and launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get its main interface.

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Step 2. Under the Logical Drives tab, select the target partition containing the files you want to scan and recover (Here we take the C drive for example because the default location path of the Windows temp folder is C:\Users\username\AppData\Local). Then click Scan.

Wait for the scan process to complete (recommended). Then you can filter found files by file type, file category, file size, and date modified. At the same time, you can also make use of the Search feature to locate your needed files by name if you know part of or the whole file name of your files.

Step 3. Preview and select all needed files and click the Save button to restore them in a safe place (Do not store them in the original path in case of data overwriting).

Now you can see the recovered Windows temp files in the location path you chose.

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Wrapping Things Up

In a word, this post talks about how to get rid of the error message “Make sure your temp folder is valid” and how to recover deleted Windows temporary files using free file recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery. Hope you can resolve the issue or recover deleted files successfully.

If you have any questions or suggestions when using MiniTool Power Data Recovery, please feel free to leave your comments in the comment area below, or you can send emails to [email protected]. We will deal with them as soon as possible.

NSIS Error Writing Temporary File FAQ