3 ways to fix the Windows 10/11 DistributedCOM 10016 error

The DistributedCOM error 10016 indicates a program is trying to access the DCOM server without having the necessary permissions to do so.
This problem is very common, and it doesn't go away even after an upgrade.
The issue can be fixed by deleting some keys in the registry as shown below.

How to fix the Windows 10/11 DistributedCOM 10016 error

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You might have encountered the notorious DistributedCOM 10016 error or DCOM event ID 10016 on your Windows OS.

It is a known error, it has been around since the Windows 8 era and now it is even affecting Windows 11 users.

Although the error is not known to cause any serious damage to your operating system, it might be annoying to deal with it all the time.

What causes the DistributedCOM 10016 error?

Unfortunately, the error does not seem to resolve even after an upgrade. It arises due to the lack of user permissions when an application tries to start the DCOM server.

It is delivered to the user in the form of a system error, along with a message having an APPID and CLSID.

It’s just because both of them are unique for every app and they are required to allow application-specific permissions.

Please have a look at these solutions that can help you remove the Windows 10 and 11 DistributedCOM 10016.

How do I fix the DCOM event ID 10016?

1. Delete the Registry keys

NOTE

It is recommended that you should save a copy of your registry values before performing any changes. The solution will only work if you are logged in as an administrator or have enabled administrative.

Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run console.

Type regedit and press Enter or click OK.

Navigate to the following section in the Registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole

Delete the following keys: DefaultAccessPermission, DefaultLaunchPermission, MachineAccessRestriction, and MachineLaunchRestriction.

Finally, you can save the changes by restarting your PC.

The default permissions will be written for the system if you delete the above-mentioned four keys from your registry.

Hence those apps that require access to the DCOM Server will eventually get access as a result.

2. Use third-party software to fix this error

A lot of Windows errors are pretty hard to pinpoint and the DistributedCOM 10016 error is definitely one of them.

As you can see, we have some excellent solutions here but if editing the Registry is not your thing, you can try using a dedicated solution that will fix the problem automatically.

The solution recommended below can deal with any Windows 10 errors, including BSoD and DLL problems so give it a shot.

Windows Update is meant to improve the overall performance of your operating system, integrate new features, and even upgrade the existing ones. However, there are times when certain errors may occur out of the blue.

Thankfully, if you happen to run into such issues, there is a specialized Windows repair software that can help you solve them in no time, and it is called Restoro.

This is how you can fix registry errors using Restoro:

Download and install Restoro.

Launch the application.

Wait for the application to find any system stability issues and possible malware infections.

Press Start Repair.

Restart your PC for all the changes to take effect.

After the process is completed your computer should work perfectly fine and you will no longer have to worry about Windows Update errors of any kind.

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Disclaimer: This program needs to be upgraded from the free version in order to perform some specific actions.

3. Enable sufficient permissions

Press the Windows key + R to start the Run app.

Type regedit and press Enter or click OK.

Navigate to the following section in the registry: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID

Expand it and spot the CLSID folder that has the same CLSID you got in the error.

Right-click and select that folder.

You will be able to see the owner at the top of the window. You need to modify the owner to the Administrators group.

Now you have to select Replace all child object permission entries that are available at the bottom of the owner window.

You will see a Windows Security warning, now click the OK and Yes buttons respectively.

Click the Add button, type Everyone in the available field and click the OK button in the previous permissions window.

You will see a list of users at the top of the main permissions Window. Now select Everyone under the user’s list and select allow to give Full Control to the user at the bottom.

Click OK to apply full control and save the changes.

Next, you have to expand the following folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ClassesAppID

Select the folder having the APPID similar to the error message and right-click it.

Repeat steps 5 to 10 to allow sufficient permissions to the respective app.

A registry key will be visible that is going to have a similar name to that of the service causing the error.

Click the Start button, type control panel, and click the app from the results.

Navigate to the top right corner to enable the icons view.

Next, you need to navigate to Administrative Tools and select Component Services.

Go to Computer and choose My Computer.

Right-click on the issue-causing service, and click Properties.

Select the Security tab.

If you have correctly followed all the previous steps to set permissions in the registry, you can select Customize on the Launch and Activation Permissions, Access Permissions, and Configuration Permissions categories.

Click Edit on the Launch and Activation Permissions. (Click Remove if you receive the following warning one or more permissions entries attached has an unrecognized type)

Now find System under the list of users. Click the Add button if you are not able to locate it, type System and hit the OK button.

You will now be able to select System under the user’s list in the current window. Look for Local Launch and Local Activation and select Allow.

Click OK to save the changes and repeat Step 18 for Access Permissions and Configuration Permissions as well.

Finally, you will find some other ClSID and AppID values. Repeat the following steps for all of those values that have been listed in the event logs. The changes will take effect after you restart your system at the end.

Although the third solution seems to be a long and hectic one, it is only recommended for those users who are not able to resolve the error through the previous methods.

How do I fix the DistributedCOM 10016 error on Windows 11?

Although it’s more advanced than Windows 10, the new OS is still very similar in its core, and needless to say, it inherited a lot of the old OSes bugs, including the DistributedCOM 10016 error.

However, this will also help you solve the problem in Windows 11 by using all the above solutions outlined for Windows 10.

The Registry Editor and the Component Services apps are identical in Windows 11 so it’s not going to be a problem to access them and follow the steps above.

The only difference is how you launch the apps and in Windows 11, you have the dedicated magnifying glass icon on the taskbar.

Most of the users have been able to resolve the issue through all of them. Hence you would be able to get rid of the Windows 10 & 11 DistributedCOM 10016 error in no time if you correctly follow each step.

Since this is an issue connected to rights and permissions, you might be interested in how to change the permissions to access or modify a file.

Leave us a note if you managed to fix the problem using our solutions. Also, feel free to share with us if you have any quick workaround for the error.

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Chauncey Koziol

Update: 2024-06-25

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