IDE hangs on startup: "invalid path creating config dir: ... error: mkdir ...: Access is denied"

Development Tools IDE 2.x
1

I recently changed the name of my user folder on my Windows 11 computer from "theBl" to "James". When I try to run the Arduino IDE, it hangs on the loading screen. I have tried restarting and reinstalling the IDE several times. Here is the Powershell log when I try to run it:

Arduino IDE 2.2.1
Checking for frontend application configuration customizations. Module path: C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\electron-main.js, destination 'package.json': C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\package.json
Setting 'theia.frontend.config.appVersion' application configuration value to: "2.2.1" (type of string)
Setting 'theia.frontend.config.cliVersion' application configuration value to: "0.34.0" (type of string)
Setting 'theia.frontend.config.buildDate' application configuration value to: "2023-08-31T14:35:44.802Z" (type of string)
Frontend application configuration after modifications: {"applicationName":"Arduino IDE","defaultTheme":{"light":"arduino-theme","dark":"arduino-theme-dark"},"defaultIconTheme":"none","electron":{"windowOptions":{}},"defaultLocale":"","validatePreferencesSchema":false,"preferences":{"window.title":"${rootName}${activeEditorShort}${appName}","files.autoSave":"afterDelay","editor.minimap.enabled":false,"editor.tabSize":2,"editor.scrollBeyondLastLine":false,"editor.quickSuggestions":{"other":false,"comments":false,"strings":false},"editor.maxTokenizationLineLength":500,"editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled":false,"breadcrumbs.enabled":false,"workbench.tree.renderIndentGuides":"none","explorer.compactFolders":false},"appVersion":"2.2.1","cliVersion":"0.34.0","buildDate":"2023-08-31T14:35:44.802Z"}
Starting backend process. PID: 14272
Using browser-only version of superagent in non-browser environment
Configuration directory URI: 'file:///c%3A/Users/James/.arduinoIDE'
Configuring to accept webviews on '^.+\.webview\..+$' hostname.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.184Z root INFO Backend Object.initialize: 7.2 ms [Finished 0.719 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.184Z root INFO Backend Object.configure: 6.1 ms [Finished 0.719 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.185Z root INFO Backend a.onStart: 2.7 ms [Finished 0.719 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.186Z root INFO Backend a.configure: 0.7 ms [Finished 0.757 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.187Z root INFO Backend u.onStart: 0.4 ms [Finished 0.757 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.188Z root INFO Backend d.configure: 0.2 ms [Finished 0.757 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.189Z root INFO Backend d.initialize: 37.1 ms [Finished 0.757 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.190Z root INFO Backend c.onStart: 0.4 ms [Finished 0.757 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.191Z root INFO Backend s.configure: 1.7 ms [Finished 0.759 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.194Z config INFO >>> Initializing CLI configuration...
2023-10-26T18:09:33.195Z root INFO Backend c.initialize: 0.6 ms [Finished 0.759 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.195Z root INFO Backend P.onStart: 1.1 ms [Finished 0.760 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.197Z config INFO Loading CLI configuration from c:\Users\James\.arduinoIDE\arduino-cli.yaml...
2023-10-26T18:09:33.197Z daemon INFO Starting daemon from C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\resources\arduino-cli.exe...
2023-10-26T18:09:33.198Z root INFO Backend s.initialize: 0.5 ms [Finished 0.762 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.198Z root INFO Backend w.onStart: 1.9 ms [Finished 0.763 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.198Z root INFO Backend r.configure: 3.2 ms [Finished 0.764 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.199Z discovery-log INFO start
2023-10-26T18:09:33.199Z discovery-log INFO start new deferred
2023-10-26T18:09:33.199Z root INFO Backend d.initialize: 0.5 ms [Finished 0.764 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.199Z root INFO Backend y.onStart: 4.5 ms [Finished 0.769 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.200Z root INFO Backend r.configure: 4.5 ms [Finished 0.769 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.200Z root INFO Backend s.onStart: 0.8 ms [Finished 0.772 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.200Z root INFO Backend h.configure: 1.0 ms [Finished 0.772 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.200Z root INFO Backend a.configure: 0.8 ms [Finished 0.773 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.201Z root INFO Backend s.configure: 0.1 ms [Finished 0.774 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.201Z root INFO Backend l.configure: 0.1 ms [Finished 0.774 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.205Z root INFO Theia app listening on http://localhost:51736.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.205Z root INFO Finished starting backend application: 6.3 ms [Finished 0.779 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.207Z root WARN The local plugin referenced by local-dir:/c%3A/Users/James/.arduinoIDE/plugins does not exist.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.207Z root WARN The local plugin referenced by local-dir:/c%3A/Users/James/.arduinoIDE/extensions does not exist.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.209Z root WARN The local plugin referenced by local-dir:C:\Users\James\.arduinoIDE\plugins does not exist.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.264Z config INFO Loaded CLI configuration: {"board_manager":{"additional_urls":["https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/package_teensy_index.json"]},"build_cache":{"compilations_before_purge":10,"ttl":"720h0m0s"},"daemon":{"port":"50051"},"directories":{"builtin":{"libraries":"C:\\Users\\theBl\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\libraries"},"data":"c:\\Users\\theBl\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15","downloads":"C:\\Users\\theBl\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\staging","user":"c:\\Users\\theBl\\Documents\\Arduino"},"library":{"enable_unsafe_install":false},"locale":"en","logging":{"file":"","format":"text","level":"info"},"metrics":{"addr":":9090","enabled":true},"output":{"no_color":false},"sketch":{"always_export_binaries":false},"updater":{"enable_notification":true}}
2023-10-26T18:09:33.264Z config INFO 'directories.data' and 'directories.user' are set in the CLI configuration model.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.264Z config INFO Loaded the CLI configuration.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.289Z config WARN Could not ensure user directory existence: c:\Users\theBl\Documents\Arduino Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, mkdir 'c:\Users\theBl'
2023-10-26T18:09:33.292Z config INFO Mapped the CLI configuration: {"dataDirUri":"file:///c%3A/Users/theBl/AppData/Local/Arduino15","sketchDirUri":"file:///c%3A/Users/theBl/Documents/Arduino","additionalUrls":["https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/package_teensy_index.json"],"network":"none","locale":"en"}
2023-10-26T18:09:33.292Z config INFO Validating the CLI configuration...
2023-10-26T18:09:33.293Z root ERROR Check accessible failed for input: c:\Users\theBl\Documents\Arduino Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, scandir 'c:\Users\theBl\Documents\Arduino'
2023-10-26T18:09:33.294Z config ERROR Failed to initialize the CLI configuration. Error: InvalidConfigError:
 - Could not access the sketchbook location at 'c:\Users\theBl\Documents\Arduino': Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, scandir 'c:\Users\theBl\Documents\Arduino'
    at P.validateCliConfig (C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\main.js:2:579517)
    at async P.initConfig (C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\main.js:2:577336)
2023-10-26T18:09:33.322Z root INFO Resolve plugins list: 125.8 ms [Finished 0.895 s after backend start]
2023-10-26T18:09:33.516Z daemon INFO Error: invalid path creating config dir: c:\Users\theBl\AppData\Local\Arduino15 error: mkdir c:\Users\theBl: Access is denied.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.517Z daemon ERROR Error: Error: invalid path creating config dir: c:\Users\theBl\AppData\Local\Arduino15 error: mkdir c:\Users\theBl: Access is denied.
    at Socket.<anonymous> (C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\main.js:2:46588)
    at Socket.emit (node:events:513:28)
    at addChunk (node:internal/streams/readable:324:12)
    at readableAddChunk (node:internal/streams/readable:297:9)
    at Readable.push (node:internal/streams/readable:234:10)
    at Pipe.onStreamRead (node:internal/stream_base_commons:190:23)
2023-10-26T18:09:33.517Z daemon INFO Starting daemon from C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\resources\arduino-cli.exe...
2023-10-26T18:09:33.518Z daemon INFO Daemon exited with exit code: 7.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.790Z daemon INFO Error: invalid path creating config dir: c:\Users\theBl\AppData\Local\Arduino15 error: mkdir c:\Users\theBl: Access is denied.
2023-10-26T18:09:33.791Z daemon ERROR Error: Error: invalid path creating config dir: c:\Users\theBl\AppData\Local\Arduino15 error: mkdir c:\Users\theBl: Access is denied.
    at Socket.<anonymous> (C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\main.js:2:46588)
    at Socket.emit (node:events:513:28)
    at addChunk (node:internal/streams/readable:324:12)
    at readableAddChunk (node:internal/streams/readable:297:9)
    at Readable.push (node:internal/streams/readable:234:10)
    at Pipe.onStreamRead (node:internal/stream_base_commons:190:23)

I think the IDE is trying to open a file in the folder Users\theBl, when it doesn't exist anymore. If anyone could help it would be appreceated.

2

Hi @theblueberrymanagain. The old path is being stored in a configuration file. I think the easiest solution will be to simply delete the configuration file. Arduino IDE will automatically generate a new file on startup with the correct path.

I'll provide instructions:

  1. Select File > Quit from the Arduino IDE menus if it is running.
  2. Delete the file at the following path:
    C:\Users\Ronan\.arduinoIDE\arduino-cli.yaml
    :warning: Please be careful when deleting things from your computer. When in doubt, back up!
  3. Start the Arduino IDE.

Arduino IDE should now start up fully and be functional as usual.

Note that the file you deleted is used to store some of your IDE preferences. These will all have been reset to the default values. If you had customized either the "Sketchbook location"
or "Additional Boards Manager URLs" preferences before, you'll need to select File > Preferences from the Arduino IDE menus and then set those preferences once again after performing the instructions I provided above.

Please let me know if you have any questions or problems while following those instructions.

3

Thank you, that worked like a charm.

4

You are welcome. I'm glad it is working now.

Regards,
Per

5

I have the same problem but with a Macbook (macOS Ventura 13.4). What would be the solution for a Macbook?

6

Hi @lenore23. Here is the version of the instructions for macOS:

  1. Select File > Quit from the Arduino IDE menus if it is running.
  2. Delete the file at the following path:
    /Users/<username>/.arduinoIDE/arduino-cli.yaml
    (where <username> is your macOS username)
    ❗ The `.arduinoIDE` folder is hidden by default. You can make it visible by pressing the **Command**+**Shift**+**.** keyboard shortcut.
    ⚠ Please be careful when deleting things from your computer. When in doubt, back up!
  3. Start the Arduino IDE.

Arduino IDE should now start up fully and be functional as usual.

Note that the file you deleted is used to store some of your IDE preferences. These will all have been reset to the default values. If you had customized either the "Sketchbook location"
or "Additional Boards Manager URLs" preferences before, you'll need to select File > Preferences from the Arduino IDE menus and then set those preferences once again after performing the instructions I provided above.

Please let me know if you have any questions or problems while following those instructions.

7

Thank you, it worked.

8

You are welcome. I'm glad it is working now.

Regards,
Per

9

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