How to Fix The Directory is Not Empty Error 0x80070091

Nowadays a number of Windows users have recognized error 0x80070091 on their system. The directory is not empty when you are trying to eliminate the folder. You may have come across this glitch when you send files or folder from an external drive. Also, it happens during a backup process. This error occurs in Windows 7 as well as in Windows 10.

So now the exact problem is clear to all. It mostly occurs due to damaged sectors on the external device or wrong files which you can not remove. Therefore, you have to resolve Windows error 0x80070091 completely. We will present some easy fixes to this error. So stay glued with this article.

Possible causes of error 0x80070091

We have provided the basic causes behind this Windows error 0x80070091. Check them out:

• You do not have permission to remove lumpy folder or files.
• There are some damaged sectors on the external important drive.
• There have many sectors which are corrupted on your computer.
• Many junk files kept in the temporary folder.

Effective methods to resolve Windows error 0x80070091

Here are some procedures by which you can resolve error 0x80070091. So take a look below attentively.

Method 1: Running the Chkdsk Utility

To run the chkdsk utility, go through the following steps:

• First, tap on the Start button and type cmd there.
• Then, go to the cmd utility by right-clicking on it and select on ‘Run as Administrator’. Then Windows command tool appears.
• Before you do it, search for the external drive what you’re encountering issues with and check the drive. To do that, press and hold the Windows + E keys both to start My Computer or This PC.
• Inside the Command Prompt, write the following command and tap on the enter button.

chkdsk /f /r Z: [Where Z: is the name of your external drive letter.]

• After that, tap on the Y key and then select when it is prompted to configure the disk on the next restart.
• Then, close all your applications and reboot your computer. Wait for few seconds when your disk is configured and repaired. When the system is online, you can solve the issue.  So, try to copy again to watch if the error was resolved.

Method 2: Effective Workarounds

We provide two workarounds that are attaching an excel file in the problematic folder. Then, remove and prefix this folder and then delete the folder.

Workaround 1

1. First, make a new Excel file into the folder to eliminate.
2. Then, choose the problematic folder and tap on the Del or Shift and Del keys at the same time.

Workaround 2

1. At the beginning of the folder name, go to the problematic folder by right-clicking on it and tap on the ‘rename’ option.

Method 3: Update computer drivers

Basically, computer drivers are important when its an issue of corrupted and outdated drivers. It is a general cause of some other Windows errors. Go to the following steps:

Step 1: First of all, go to My Computer by right-clicking on it in the window screen and choose ‘Properties’ from the given list.

Step 2: After that, go to Device Manager, then you will search for the Windows.

Step 3: Then allocate the device which you need to update, press on it, and select Update Driver.

Step 4: Lastly, reboot your computer after completing the update, then you can figure out whether the issue is solved or not.

Method 4: Eliminate “WINDOWS.OLD” Folder in safe mode

The most common path to resolve this error is to clean up all junk files on the system. Before starting the steps, boot your PC into safe mode. To delete ‘Windows.old’ folder, go to the following steps:

Step 1: First, drag and hold the Windows Logo key and click R at the same time to appear to the Run box, then copy the following command and paste it in the run box and hit the ‘OK’ button.

Step 2: Then go to a target drive and tap on ‘OK’ button and then the Disk Cleanup is ready to run automatically.

Step 3: After that, tap on Clean up system files section and configure the Previous Windows installation folder, then tap on the OK option.

Step 4: Tap on the Delete Files, then the C:\Windows.old folder will be removed automatically. Moreover, check the issue once and if the process is not working for the error, then go to the next solution.

Method 5: Update your system

To update the whole system, go to the following steps:

1. First of all, go to the Settings window by tapping Windows Key+I on your keyboard.
2. Next, tap on the ‘Update & Security’ folder.
3. Now, open the right slab and tap on the Check for Updates button.

Method 6: Modify ownership for the folder or file

If you are going to log in to your PC like an administrator and cannot remove the folder, you have to change ownership of the particular folder. To change the ownership, go to the following steps:

Step 1: First of all, go to the File Explorer by right-clicking on it.

Step 2: Then, place the parent directory that keeps the files which you never delete. So, open the folder or section and tap on the ‘Properties’ folder.

Step 3: After that, go to the Security tab by right-clicking on it and tap on the Advanced button to get special permissions from the advanced settings.

Step 4: Next, tap on the owner tab and press on the ‘Edit’ option.

Step 5: Additionally, tap on the new owner in the Change folder for modifying the owner to a few users.

Step 6: Choose the “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects” option and click on ‘OK’ button. This option modifies the holders of all sub-containers section and objects.

Solution 7:  Delete system junk files safely

To delete system junk file safety, try to follow the steps below:

Step 1: First of all, Open Disk Cleanup. Then go to the Start menu to search for Windows Administrative Tools. Also, you can visit Disk Cleanup.

Step 2  After that, Click again Disk Cleanup and then a box comes to evaluate files and folders that you can eliminate safely.

Step 3: When determining is done, you’ll come across a full window where you can choose important files and folder to eliminate.

Step 4: Now, choose all dialogue boxes which is occupied by unimportant documents like momentary Internet Files, Temporary files, Windows folder and many more. Then, tap on the OK button to remove selected files.

Step 5: Again try to remove any file or folder that show error 0x80070091 and configure if the issue is resolved.

Concluding Remarks

Hope after applying the above process, you can easily fix Windows error 0x80070091. If you have encountered issues then share your comments. Moreover, we have given the major causes you may encounter with the external display.