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MK_E_CANTOPENFILE
Moniker cannot open file
The native value 0x800401EA is MK_E_CANTOPENFILE, unsigned 2147746282 and signed -2147221014. The documented description is “Moniker cannot open file”. Treat it as evidence that a file moniker cannot open the file it identifies; the operation in progress is binding a file-based moniker to storage or an object.
Operational meaning
- Confirm that this result came from binding a file-based moniker to storage or an object, rather than from cleanup or a wrapper that ran afterward.
Cause model
- It can result when the file is missing, inaccessible, locked incompatibly, or on an unavailable share.
- It can result when path normalization resolves to a different or forbidden location.
- It can result when the file exists but the requested access/share mode cannot be granted.
Troubleshooting workflow
- Identify the exact object, method, and lifecycle phase involved in binding a file-based moniker to storage or an object.
- Record normalized path, file identity, access mode, sharing mode, and underlying system error.
- Separate path resolution, authorization, sharing violation, and content activation.
- Check whether the moniker should refer to a moved document through link tracking.
What to log
Correction strategy
Correction. restore access, update the link, or open through an appropriate supported share mode. Retry condition. Retry with backoff only for transient share/lock conditions; missing or denied files require a user or deployment action. Before repeating the operation, release partial monikers and bound interfaces, unregister only owned Running Object Table entries, and abandon a bind context whose deadline or parameters no longer match the retry.
Practical scenario
A linked spreadsheet moved to a new share; link-repair UI updates the file moniker instead of repeatedly opening the stale path.
Difference from related HRESULTs
MK_E_NOOBJECT may occur after a file opens but no bindable object exists; it fails at file access.
Developer and administrator guidance
References
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