"Microsoft Edge can't read and write to its data directory:" when launching AutoCAD

Autodesk Support

Dec 11, 2024

Products and versions covered

When starting Autodesk Products the following message is displayed:

We couldn't create the data directory

Microsoft Edge can't read and write to its data directory:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 20XX\.WebView2\1\EBwebView

Microsoft Edge can't read and write to its data directory

Note: The folder path may differ, depending upon product version and installation location.

End-user read-write permissions.
Corrupted installation of Microsoft's WebView2 application.
Interference with Security software:
- Antivirus software or firewall may block or redirect traffic to a specific port.
- Incomplete initial setup of AutoCAD and missing support files/folders within the user's Autodesk directories, possibly due to Windows profile restrictions.

Check the permissions of the following folders to make sure read-write access is present for the current user account (it might be necessary to grant it for "Everyone"):
- C:\Users\<user folder>
- C:\Program Files\Autodesk

Configure the exclusions for all Autodesk folders in Antivirus\Firewall\Security App. See:
- How to set up antivirus (AV) exclusions to improve stability and performance of Autodesk software
Elevate the Windows user rights and reset AutoCAD to defaults. If that fails, manually back up and then delete the following items:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD 20xx
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\AutoCAD 20xx
HKCU\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\<Rxx.x>
Launch AutoCAD again and allow it to perform the initial setup again.

AutoCAD Products;

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