error copying NVDA user settings

[joshknnd1982]

Brief summary

running NVDA
NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA)
Version: 2026.1 (2026.1.0.55743)
URL: https://www.nvaccess.org
Copyright (C) 2006-2026 NVDA Contributors
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎10/‎29/‎2025
OS build 26200.8328
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.304.0

An error dialog comes up when copying NVDA user settings, settings are still copied.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open NVDA settings.
2. go to general.
3. go to Use currently saved settings during sign-in and on secure screens (requires administrator privileges)
4. select all addons, hit continue, hit the yes button to copy everything, error dialog comes up saying "cannot copy NVDA user settings." see attached NVDA log.

nvda.log

Actual behavior

Issues · nvaccess/nvda - Google Chrome window
Issues · nvaccess/nvda - Google Chrome window
Issues · nvaccess/nvda document
Create new issue in nvaccess/nvda: Bug report dialog
Markdown Editor grouping
Actual behavior * edit multi line Markdown input: edit mode selected. This section should tell us what actually happens when these steps are taken. Please describe verbatim what NVDA does, use speech and braille viewer to copy the speech/braille from NVDA. This helps developers to be sure they are reproducing the same issue as you. Enabling "Speak command keys" (NVDA+4) may be helpful. Example:An NVDA error sound is heard.NVDA Speech:"button enable sound" blank
blank
blank
blank
NVDA Speech Viewer 2 of 2
Issues · nvaccess/nvda - Google Chrome 1 of 2
Issues · nvaccess/nvda - Google Chrome window
Issues · nvaccess/nvda - Google Chrome window
Issues · nvaccess/nvda document
Create new issue in nvaccess/nvda: Bug report dialog
Markdown Editor grouping
Actual behavior * edit multi line Markdown input: edit mode selected. This section should tell us what actually happens when these steps are taken. Please describe verbatim what NVDA does, use speech and braille viewer to copy the speech/braille from NVDA. This helps developers to be sure they are reproducing the same issue as you. Enabling "Speak command keys" (NVDA+4) may be helpful. Example:An NVDA error sound is heard.NVDA Speech:"button enable sound" blank
blank
NVDA Settings: General (normal configuration) dialog
General property page
NVDA Language (requires restart): combo box User default collapsed Alt+ l
Save configuration when exiting NVDA check box checked Alt+ s
Show exit options when exiting NVDA check box not checked Alt+ w
Play sounds when starting or exiting NVDA check box not checked Alt+ p
Start NVDA after I sign in check box checked Alt+ a
Use NVDA during sign-in (requires administrator privileges) check box checked
Use currently saved settings during sign-in and on secure screens (requires administrator privileges) button
pressed
Copy Settings to System-wide Configuration dialog One or more add-ons are currently enabled in your NVDA configuration. If run on secure
screens, they will have unrestricted, higher-than-administrator level access to your entire
system. You are strongly encouraged to copy only add-ons that you absolutely require in
order to use NVDA during sign-in and on secure screens.

Check only the add-ons you wish to copy to the system-wide configuration.
Add-ons list
AI assistant; 0.9.1; 0.9.1 check box checked 1 of 11
About add-on... button Alt+ a
Continue button Alt+ c
pressed
Warning dialog You have selected to copy 11 add-ons to NVDA's system-wide
configuration. Using these add-ons during sign-in and on secure screens is
a serious security risk.

Are you sure you want to continue?
No button Alt+ n
Cancel button
Yes button Alt+ y
pressed
NVDA Settings: General (normal configuration) dialog
General property page
Use currently saved settings during sign-in and on secure screens (requires administrator privileges) button
Copying Settings dialog Please wait while settings are copied to the system configuration.
Please wait
Error dialog Error copying NVDA user settings
OK button
pressed
NVDA Settings: General (normal configuration) dialog
General property page
Use currently saved settings during sign-in and on secure screens (requires administrator privileges) button
Automatically check for updates to NVDA check box checked Alt+ u
Notify for pending update on startup check box checked Alt+ p
Update mirror grouping
edit read only multi line No mirror
Change... button
Prevent display from turning off during say all or reading with braille check box checked Alt+ d
OK button
pressed
Issues · nvaccess/nvda - Google Chrome window
Issues · nvaccess/nvda - Google Chrome window
Issues · nvaccess/nvda document
Create new issue in nvaccess/nvda: Bug report dialog
Markdown Editor grouping
Actual behavior * edit multi line Markdown input: edit mode selected. This section should tell us what actually happens when these steps are taken. Please describe verbatim what NVDA does, use speech and braille viewer to copy the speech/braille from NVDA. This helps developers to be sure they are reproducing the same issue as you. Enabling "Speak command keys" (NVDA+4) may be helpful. Example:An NVDA error sound is heard.NVDA Speech:"button enable sound" blank
NVDA Speech Viewer 2 of 2
NVDA Speech Viewer
Show Speech Viewer on Startup check box not checked Alt+ s

Expected behavior

NVDA should copy all requested user settings and addons and say something like: "user settings copied successfully."

NVDA logs, crash dumps and other attachments

NVDA debug mode log is attached.

nvda.log

NVDA type

installed copy

NVDA version

Version: 2026.1 (2026.1.0.55743)

Have you tried any other versions of NVDA? If so, please report their behaviors.

only happens in this version, this never happened in previous NVDA versions

Windows version

Edition Windows 11 Pro Version 25H2 Installed on ‎10/‎29/‎2025 OS build 26200.8328 Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.304.0

Name and version of other software in use when reproducing the issue

none, only windows desktop is in foreground

Other information about your system

running windows11 natively

Does the issue still occur after restarting your computer?

I have restarted my computer and the issue still occurs

If NVDA add-ons are disabled, is your problem still occurring?

I have restarted NVDA with add-ons disabled and the issue no longer occurs

Does the issue still occur after you run the System Accessibility Repair Tool (COM Registration Fixing Tool in older versions) in NVDA's tools menu?

I have run the System Accessibility Repair Tool and the issue still occurs

[CyrilleB79]

No, not all settings are copied:

• \\?\C:\Users\joshk\AppData\Roaming\nvda\AIAssistant\conversations.db to \\?\C:\Program Files\NVDA\systemConfig\AIAssistant\conversations.db is not copied. I do not know why; maybe an access problem.
• As expected, the .exe files are ignored (not copied): nvda_ui_host.exe (probably from IBMTTS), ffmpeg.exe, python.exe (various instances), lame.exe.

Maybe it would be nice to indicate to the user the files which have not been able to be copied. Or the add-ons which could not be copied entirely.
Also, should we make a distinction between .exe files which are expected not to be copied (is it documented in the UG by the way?) and other files that could not be copied unexpectedly.

[seanbudd]

Looks like we need to retry copying these files, as NVDA might hold onto them briefly while exiting the UAC screen after confirming the user wants to copy the settings

[vladdragomir1983]

Hello, I'm having exactly the same problem. This never happened before, and it doesn't exist on my old computer still using NVDA 2025. The only difference: my list of add-ons is not the same.

[yasumorishima]

I'd like to work on this.

Following @seanbudd's suggestion above: installer.tryCopyFile raises as soon as CopyFile fails and no destination file was created, and config._setSystemConfig calls it for every file in the user configuration, so one source file that is still held open aborts the whole copy.

My plan is to retry that case before giving up, mirroring tryRemoveFile, which already retries six times at half second intervals. Failing to overwrite an existing destination file would be unchanged. I'll add unit tests for tryCopyFile.

@CyrilleB79's point about reporting which files could not be copied changes what the user is told rather than whether the copy succeeds, so I've kept it out of this change.