The Specified File Could not Be Decrypted: Top Solutions

Solve the error of Windows encrypted file failure to decrypt error 0x80071771

When trying to open an encrypted file, you may encounter the error 0x80071771, prompting "Cannot decrypt the specified file". This article explains the cause of this error and provides solutions.

File Encryption System (EFS) helps users encrypt files and prevent unauthorized access or virus attacks. However, many users (especially after updating their Windows system) reported problems and received error 0x80071771: "The specified file cannot be decrypted".

Note that if you want to access files encrypted with EFS from another computer, a certificate is required. Here are some ways that might help you fix error 0x80071771 that you can try one by one:

Method 1: Use the command prompt to decrypt the file

You can access files by granting full permissions to the current account. However, this method does not work with files encrypted on other devices.

Step 1: Get full permissions for the problem drive

1. Press Win E to open File Explorer.
2. Right-click the drive that is in trouble and select Properties from the context menu.
3. Switch to the Security tab and click the Edit button.
4. Select Full Control in the Permissions section of All .

5. Click Apply > OK to save the changes and return to the Properties window.
6. Click Advanced at the bottom of the Properties window.
7. In the Owner section, select Change . Then you should enter Everyone in the box and click Check Name .
8. Click OK to save.

9. Select the permissions to replace subcontainers and objects and click Apply .

Step 2: Run the command line

1. Press Win R to open the Run window.
2. Type cmd in the text box and press Shift Ctrl Enter to run the command prompt as administrator.
3. Type cipher /d "Path" and press Enter to run this command. You should change the path to the actual path of the file you cannot decrypt.

Method 2: Decrypt the file by importing the key and certificate

Another way to allow you to access encrypted files on other devices is to use keys and certificates. You need to export the certificates and keys from the original computer first and then import them to the device you want to access the file.

Step 1: Export the certificate and key

1. Type the Admin user certificate in the Windows search box and press Enter to open the window.
2. Click Personal > Certificate . Right-click the required certificate and select All Tasks > Export .
3. Click Next . In the next window, select Yes, export the private key , and click Next .
4. Under the Personal Information Exchange - PKCS #12 (.PFX) section, you should choose to include all certificates in the certificate path , export all extended attributes , and enable certificate privacy if possible. Then click Next .

5. Check the password and set the password for the PFX file. Click Next .
6. Name the PFX file and select the location of the file. Click Next .
7. Click Finish to complete the process.

Step 2: Import the certificate and key

1. Transfer the PFX file to the computer where you want to access the encrypted file.
2. Open the Certificate Manager and locate the Personal folder.
3. Right-click it and select All Tasks > Import .
4. Click Browse to find the PFX file. If it is not found, select All Files (*.*) from the drop-down menu next to File Name . Double-click the file to open it, and then click Next .
5. Enter the password you set. Under Import Options, select mark this key as exportable and contains all extended properties .

6. Click Next . In the next window, select Automatically select the certificate store based on the certificate type and click Next .
7. Select Finish to complete the import process.

After completing all the steps above, you can try to access the encrypted file and see if the error message "Cannot decrypt the specified file, error 0x80071771" still appears.

Additional tip: Recover data from an encrypted drive

If you use BitLocker to encrypt your drive, is your data 100% secure? The answer is no. Your files may also be lost due to hardware issues, BitLocker crashes, or other reasons. In this case, can you recover lost files from your BitLocker encrypted drive?

With MiniTool Power Data Recovery, you can get positive answers. This professional file recovery tool can help you retrieve files even if you have formatted your drive. You can first download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery for a deep scan to see if you can find the required files. You can recover 1GB of files for free using MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition.

Conclusion

This article describes how to fix error 0x80071771: "Cannot decrypt the specified file". Both methods are more complex, but can help decrypt encrypted files. Hope this article provides you with some useful information.

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