Plugin Access Denied Error

Written By AstroBob

Last updated 6 months ago

Issue

After launching or updating LaunchBox, you may encounter the following error:

Access to the path 'C:\Users\YourName\LaunchBox\Plugins\[Plugin Name]' is denied.

This usually appears in the logs with an exception trace referencing:

System.IO.IOException Site: Void RemoveDirectoryInternal(System.String, Boolean, Boolean)

What’s Happening?

LaunchBox includes out-of-the-box plugin integrations for popular emulators like Dolphin, PCSX2, and Xemu, located in the LaunchBox\Plugins directory. When LaunchBox starts, it attempts to verify and manage these plugin directories.

This error means LaunchBox cannot access one or more plugin directories because something on your system has placed a lock on the directory or its .dll files.

Possible Causes

🛡️ Antivirus or Security Software

Your antivirus or Windows Defender may mistakenly block or quarantine a plugin file during install or while LaunchBox attempts to update it.

☁️ Cloud Sync Tools (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive)

If you're hosting your LaunchBox setup on a cloud sync service, like OneDrive, the service may lock files during syncing, blocking LaunchBox from accessing or modifying them.

🔒 Windows File Locking

Windows may temporarily lock files during sync or file operations. If LaunchBox attempts to update the plugin while Windows still has a hold on it, the operation will fail.

Solutions

✅ Step 1: Inspect the Plugin Directory

  1. Look at the error message to identify which plugin folder is causing the issue (e.g. LaunchBox\Plugins\Dolphin LaunchBox Integration).

  2. Navigate to your LaunchBox\Plugins folder and ensure the subfolder and the corresponding .dll file exists.

  3. Check your antivirus or Windows Security history to see if the file or folder has been quarantined.

🔁 Step 2: Delete the Problem Plugin Folder

  1. Close LaunchBox completely.

  2. Navigate to the plugin directory listed in the error (e.g. LaunchBox\Plugins\Dolphin LaunchBox Integration).

  3. Manually delete the entire folder.

  4. Reopen LaunchBox. It will automatically re-create the plugin directory.

🔃 Step 3: Reinstall LaunchBox (Last Resort)

If the error persists even after removing the plugin folder, reinstall LaunchBox:

  1. Download the latest LaunchBox setup from the official website.

  2. Install it over your existing folder (do not uninstall first).

  3. Following our detailed guide on how to do this (Installing, Updating, and Managing LaunchBox)

This will restore any missing files without affecting your settings or library.