# Error message: The Julia launcher failed to load a configuration file

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-message-the-julia-launcher-failed-to-load-a-configuration-file/119336>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [September 12, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-message-the-julia-launcher-failed-to-load-a-configuration-file/119336 "2024-09-12T16:10:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![GiovanniPaiela](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/giovannipaiela/32/211934_2.png) [@GiovanniPaiela](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GiovanniPaiela)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-message-the-julia-launcher-failed-to-load-a-configuration-file/119336/1 "2024-09-12T16:10:59Z")

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I wanted to run my julia code but after I did so (trying both from vs code and command prompt), I received an error message:  
"Error: The Julia launcher failed to load a configuration file.

Caused by:  
Could not create lockfile: Access is denied. (os error 5)."

Even when I have no code in the .jl file, the error still pops up. How can I fix that?

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**Author:** ![Palli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/palli/32/3380_2.png) [@Palli](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Palli)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-message-the-julia-launcher-failed-to-load-a-configuration-file/119336/2 "2024-09-12T16:38:16Z")

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FYI: This is strictly speaking not a Julia error. This is a juliaup error.\*

OS error 5 is some generic permission error and this might help on Windows:  
[https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-fix-error-5-access-is-denied-in-windows-10/8a4069ea-4b0e-4517-9d7a-62c44b4d6e7d](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-fix-error-5-access-is-denied-in-windows-10/8a4069ea-4b0e-4517-9d7a-62c44b4d6e7d)

This triggers the error:

> <https://github.com/JuliaLang/juliaup/blob/51750564be2c90592f05dc4fd7a434cb50451e34/src/bin/julialauncher.rs#L315-L316>

“The Julia launcher” is I think synonymous with juliaup. When you use juliaup, you run “julia” but you are actually running juliaup, and it for you julia (but you can also still just use julia, without juliaup, and it’s still supported too).

I’m not saying avoid juliaup (just fix that problem, somhow, it’s not a bug in julia either, seemingly just a permission problem), though you might want to run julia without juliaup, as a workaround.

Yes, Juliaup is the preferred update mechanism (others are available, were more popular in the past), is officially recommended, and shouldn’t (need to) be avoided.

> **[Access is denied. (os error 5)](https://users.rust-lang.org/t/access-is-denied-os-error-5/109515)**
>
> I got some permission issue when I try to print the Option variable like below it always show me the Access is denied. (os error 5) but when remove the Option variable, print the message directly, the cargo run will work perfectly fn main()...

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GiovanniPaiela](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/giovannipaiela/32/211934_2.png) [@GiovanniPaiela](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GiovanniPaiela)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-message-the-julia-launcher-failed-to-load-a-configuration-file/119336/3 "2024-09-12T18:44:49Z")

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I tried the thing from the first link and it didn’t seem to help. I also tried running as an administrator but this didn’t help either.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GiovanniPaiela](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/giovannipaiela/32/211934_2.png) [@GiovanniPaiela](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GiovanniPaiela)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-message-the-julia-launcher-failed-to-load-a-configuration-file/119336/4 "2024-09-12T19:06:19Z")

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Nevermind. I installed it manually, not from the microsoft store but via the installer and its fine rn. Thanks.