Fix Operation Did Not Complete Windows 10 Virus

If you have been having issues trying to open files due to windows 10 detecting a virus then our article fix operation did not complete Windows 10 virus will help you solve this problem.

After using your Windows 10 PC or laptop for a while it becomes easier to pick up a virus or malware along the way which will cause the built-in Windows defender to pop up errors such as “operation did not complete virus windows 10” which can be frustrating when trying to open files.

What Is The Cause Of The Fix Operation Did Not Complete Windows Error

This error message will appear on your Windows 10 or other Windows version in 2 ways:

ONE. If you have downloaded a genuine file but the windows 10 defender sees the file as a threat. This is called a false positive.

TWO: If you have accidentally downloaded a file that has installed a virus on your windows pc/laptop.

Below we will cover the best methods to fix this virus error message.

Disable Your Windows Defender Temporarily

You can do this method if you are sure that the file you are trying to open does not contain a virus, i.e if the file is a well know application such as Skype, etc.

You will be able to turn off the Windows defender and then proceed with opening the file.

Disabling Windows 10 Defender

This is the easy way to disable your Windows Defender:

1. Click the start icon in the bottom left-hand corner of your Windows desktop.
2. Choose the Update and Security setting.
3. Now choose Windows Security.
4. Click on the Virus & threat protection.
5. Now select Manage Settings and you will be redirected to a new page.
6. Click on the Real-time protection toggle to turn Windows defender OFF.

Now try and open the file you are getting the “Operation Did Not Complete Windows” error and it should now be resolved. 

You now should be able to open the file, make sure afterward you turn on Windows defender for it to carry on protecting your Windows PC.

If the above did not turn off your Windows defender you can turn it off by using the Windows registry.

Turn Off Windows Defender Inside Windows Registry

If you weren’t able to turn off Windows defender using the above method then you will need to follow the below to use the Windows registry to achieve this.

1. Click the start icon at the bottom left-hand corner of the desktop.
2. Type in “Register Editor” into the search bar.
3. Then click on the Windows registry icon.
4. Now copy this key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender and paste it into the search box.
5. Now locate the entry called DisableAntiSpyware and double click this registry.
6. Please note: If you do not see the registry DisableAntiSpyware you will need to enter the Windows Defender folder then right-click and choose New → DWORD (32-bit) Value then name the key DisableAntiSpyware.
7. Now double click on the DisableAntiSpyware registry key.
8. Once the prompt box appears simply set the value data to 1 and this will disable your Windows defender and the Antimalware service executable (MsMPEng.exe) for your Windows 10.
9. Now just exit from the Windows registry and restart your Windows PC and see if the issue has been fixed by opening your file.

After you have tested the above, be sure to go through the above steps to turn your Windows Defender back on so it keeps on protecting your Windows PC.

Turn Off Your Anti-Virus Protection

Sometimes you can run into issues with your third-party Antivirus program when you are trying to open normal files but it’s accidentally flagging the files as viruses (false positives).

If you turn your Antivirus off this can pose a risk to your Windows PC/laptop so be sure to make a full backup before you follow the below.

1. Right-click the Windows symbol and choose Task Manager
2. Select the Start-up tab and search for your Antivirus software
3. Now click on your antivirus software and choose disable
4. Go ahead and restart your Windows machine

Once your PC has restarted check to see if the file opens, if not be sure to turn your Antivirus back on and enable it in the start-up tab again inside the windows task manager.

Add An Exception For The File In Windows Defender

You may not know but you can add both files and folders to an exception list in Windows Defender which will allow the file or folder to bypass the Windows Defender live protection and scans.

1. Open file explorer and navigate the file that is giving you the “Operation did not complete” error.
2. Now copy the full path from the address bar by clicking on it and then pressing ctrl+c.
3. Now open the start menu on your PC and search for Windows Security.
4. Choose Virus & Threat protection.
5. Go into Manage settings under the Virus & Threat protection settings.
6. You will see a box called Exclusions you will need to click on the blue link “Add or remove exclusions”.
7. Choose Folder.
8. Now paste the path you copied from step 2 and press Enter.
9. All you need to do now is click on the folder where the file is inside and choose “select folder”.
10. This will of added an exception for the whole folder inside Windows Defender.

Repair Your File Explorer

You can sometimes run into the error “operation did not complete” on your windows pc or laptop due to your File Explorer being corrupted, so follow the below to resolve this.

1. Click on the start menu icon and search for “Command Prompt” or “CMD” for short.
2. Make sure you right-click on the CMD and choose to run as administrator.
3. If you see the User Account Control just choose Yes.
4. After the CMD command terminal has opened copy each of these commands below and enters them one by one to execute the commands
   1. sfc /SCANFILE=c:\windows\explorer.exe 
   2. sfc /SCANFILE=C:\Windows\SysWow64\explorer.exe
5. Once you have run both the above commands exit from the command prompt and restart your PC.

Now try to open the problem file and see if the above has resolved the error message.

Run Windows Disk Clean Up Utility

After you have used your PC for a while it can build up an impressive amount of junk files which are temp files you don’t need taking up space and sometimes slowing down your PC.

So trying this method may also fix the error and also give your PC or laptop a well-needed boost in speed and performance too.

1. Click the start menu icon on the bottom left-hand side of your desktop.
2. Now run a search for “Disk Cleanup”.
3. Click on its icon to open Disk Cleanup.
4. Select the C drive if that’s your main hard drive being used and click OK.
5. You will now see all the space these junk files and cache files are taking up, so select them all.
6. Click on the Cleanup system files button.
7. When the Disk Cleanup prompt pops up choose the “Delete Files” button.

Scan Your Hard Drive With Your Antivirus Software (AVG)

You can run scans using Windows Defender which we will cover below but we strongly recommend you use a third-party antivirus to keep your PC safe from malware and viruses.

We recommend using the best free AVG antivirus program on top of Windows Defender to make sure you have the best protection for your Windows operating system.

Follow the below steps to run a scan using Windows Defender.

1. Click on the start menu in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
2. Search for “Windows Security” and click on its icon.
3. Now choose the Virus & Threat Protection tab.
4. Click on the Scan Options link.
5. Make sure in the dropdown selection you choose “Full Scan”
   1. The scan may take 1-2 hours to complete depending on your hard drive size and how many files you have.
6. Click the scan button to begin the full scan.
7. If you have suspicious files which contain malware or viruses then windows defender will automatically quarantine or remove these files.

After the full scan has finished you will see a report of what suspicious files were found and whether you want to permanently remove them from your Windows PC.

Fix Windows Backup Temp Stored Files

When you have been using your web browser for a while it can build up junk files which are temporary files that can make your PC run slower and cause errors.

This method is just like using Disk utility but whereas that’s for local Windows stored junk files this method is for web browser junk type files.

1. Click the start menu and search for “Control Panel”.
2. Now choose Internet Options (If you do not see this then make sure you choose the large icon view).
3. You will now see a window stay inside the same tab and click on the Delete button.
4. Uncheck the “Preserve Favourites Website Data” checkbox.
5. Now click on delete and this will delete all temporary internet files and website files such as cookies, history, and your download history.

After you have completed the above be sure to reboot your windows PC and then check to see if the error has been fixed.

Conclusion

We have covered many different methods on how to fix the operation did not complete error on your Windows PC so you can open all files on your PC now without and remove any Windows 10 virus.

Always make sure you use official websites when downloading files and programs to lessen the risk of your windows laptop or PC picking up any viruses or malware.