What does Windows error code 698 (ERROR_OBJECT_NAME_EXISTS) mean?

ERROR_OBJECT_NAME_EXISTS

What ERROR_OBJECT_NAME_EXISTS means

A named kernel or system object already exists when code attempts to create it. In practical terms, this status belongs to named object creation: CreateEvent, CreateMutex, CreateFileMapping, registry, or related APIs encounter an existing name.

Typical causes

• Another process created the object first
• The same process repeated initialization
• A stale object remains alive because a handle is still open

How to investigate

1. Check whether the creating API returned a valid handle together with this status
2. Log the full object namespace and session context
3. Determine whether sharing the existing object is intended or a name-collision bug

Developer guidance

For many Win32 create APIs this is an informational result, not a failed handle. Always inspect the documented return contract before closing or discarding the returned object.

References

• Microsoft: System error codes 500–999