In this post we are going to answer three simple questions:

• What is TrustedInstaller?
• Is it safe to delete or modify TrustedInstaller?
• What should you do if TrustedInstaller is causing problems?

 

Microsoft designed TrustedInstaller as part of the Windows Module Installer to allow installation, modification, and uninstallation of Windows updates. It also serves to prevent you from deleting important system files. It is an important component of Windows. As important as TrustedInstaller is, it still has it’s issues:

 

• It can use a lot of disk space and CPU resources.
• It can slow down your PC’s performance.
• It can cause errors.

 

Does all of this mean that it is a good idea to disable it? The answer to that one is a resounding no. If you disable TrustedInstaller then Windows may not be able to install or uninstall updates and you are risking system files becoming corrupted. All of this seems pretty straight forward but things can get complicated if you do need to delete a file that is protected by TrustedInstaller or if you run into high CPU usage after updating Windows. For the high CPU usage issue rebooting your computer should help. On the other hand you may need to delete something that is protected by TrustedInstaller. I will show you how to bypass it.

Here are the steps to both disable TrustedInstaller and to bypass it without disabling. Before proceeding please follow all of my recommendations, remember that this is an important core Windows component (proceed at your own risk), and if you don’t know what you are doing it is best if you don’t mess with with the default settings of TrustedInstaller ownership of files and folders.

How to Bypass TrustedInstaller

I highly recommend that you set a system restore point and backup your important files to an external drive or the cloud before messing with TrustedInstaller. I take no responsibility if you break your system. I will show you below how to set a restore point, how to disable TrustedInstaller (not recommended), and how to take ownership of files and folders if you do need to bypass it.

 

How to set a system restore point:

1. Cliick Start.
2. Click Settings.
3. In the search field type (without the quotes) “create restore point”.
4. Click “Create a restore point”.
5. Click Create.
6. Give a name to your restore point and click Create.
7. Click OK.

 

If you ever do need to restore a former state of your system:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Settings.
3. In the search field type (without the quotes) “create restore point”.
4. Click “Create a restore point”.
5. Click System Restore.
6. Select the system state that you want to return to.
7. Click Next and follow any further prompts.

 

How to disable TrustedInstaller:

This is for educational purposes only. I do not recommend that you disable TrustedInstaller. If you choose to disable it you risk breaking Windows Update and future system file corruption. I am only including these steps so you know that it can be disabled. Please do not disable it on your computer.

1. Right click “Start” and choose Run.
2. In the Run box type without the quotes “services.msc” and then click OK.
3. Right click “Windows Module Installer” and choose Properties.
4. Under “Startup type” set it to manual or disabled (depending on what you want to do) and click “Apply” and then “OK”.
5. Reboot Windows.

 

If you run into a Trusted Installer error:

1. Right click Start then choose “Command Prompt (Admin)”.
2. Type (without the quotes) “sfc/scannow” and hit Enter.

 

SFC is short for System File Checker. It checks your system files to see if there is corruption or anything missing and tries to fix the problem.

 

How to take ownership of files so you can work around TrustedInstaller:

Follow these steps only if you actually need to take control of something away from TrustedInstaller. Again, proceed with caution and make sure that you set a restore point and backup your important files first.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Locate the folder you want to take ownership of.
3. Right click on the folder.
4. Click Properties.
5. Click the Security tab.
6. Click Advanced.
7. Click Change.
8. Enter (without the quotes) “Administrators” in the object name field.
9. Click Check Names.
10. Click OK.
11. Place a checkmark next to “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects”.
12. Select Administrators (this folder).
13. Put a checkmark beside “Replace all child object permission entries”.
14. Click OK.
15. Click Yes.
16. Click OK.
17. Right click the folder and choose Properties again.
18. Click the Security tab.
19. Click Edit.
20. Select Administrators.
21. Choose to allow full control.
22. Click OK.
23. Click OK.

 

TrustedInstaller Best Practices

Here are some best practices to follow to protect you from breaking your system by messing with TrustedInstaller settings.

 

• If TrustedInstaller ever uses too many CPU resources reboot your computer.
• Do not disable TrustedInstaller.
• Only change ownership settings if it is necessary.
• If you don’t know what you are doing don’t modify TrustedInstaller settings.
• If you ever run into TrustedInstaller errors try running SFC and see if that fixes the issue.

 

Now you know what TrustedInstaller is and does, how to take ownership of a file or folder from it if you ever need to, and safety steps that you should take before doing so. As I said earlier, you should never disable it and it shouldn’t be messed with without an important reason. I take no responsibility if you choose to modify TrustedInstaller’s ownership of something and it leads to breaking your Windows system.

Do you have any questions about TrustedInstaller or have you run into system issues because you disabled or modified it? Let me know down in the comments.