unable to create character config data

I have had this problem for 2 weeks now ... so I haven't played since!!! (´•ω•̥`)

I contacted support but they were completely useless! They told me it could be related to certain security/privacy in Safari and that I should update Safari and make sure my MacOS is up-to-date ...

Only problem is, I'm on a PC running Windows 10, that's all information I submitted, I also listed what was done BEFORE I contacted them. (╬ Ò ‸ Ó)

The error message appears in the character selection screen, both characters I have gives me this error.

"unable to create character config data"

Things I have done (and listed in the ticket) ;

• Disabled Windows Defender
• Disabled Windows Firewall
• Re-installed the game (3 times, making sure all folders were deleted - through Steam BTW)
• Ran the game as an admin
• Made sure the folder security was correct
• Made sure the folder wasn't "read-only"
• Made sure to try the all of the above on a clean boot

I'm now at my wits' end and don't know what else to try, seeing that useless reply from the support gets me down ಠ╭╮ಠ

Good afternoon WkdPaul and thank you for posting on the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

When did this start happening? Did anything change/update on your PC that coincides with this?

When you reinstalled the game, did you delete the locally saved content (My Documents > My Games > Final Fantasy XIV)? It sounds like the game is having trouble writing to this folder.

We hope we can be of assistance in helping you enjoy the exciting world of Final Fantasy XIV!

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Originally Posted by Einmimiria

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Thank for the reply.

Yes, the issue is that folder, but nothing of what I previously did fixed the issue. I made sure to delete the folder during every reinstall, it would re-create the folder and all the files inside. But somehow it seems the game wouldn't be to write into it after the installation.

Thankfully I found what was the root of the issue today, turns out it's related to an option in Windows Defender that stays on, even when Defender is disabled (I do this using a registry edit). There must've been a Windows update in between the time I played sometime 2 weeks ago (thanks Windows 10!!).

I'll point to the setting to turn off in case this happens to someone else ;

- Open Windows Defender
- Go into Virus & threat protection
- Click on Virus & threat protection settings
- Scroll down to Controlled folder access
- Turn off that setting
modifying the Protected folders won't work since we can only ADD folders
Allowing an app through won't work either (tried that before turning it off completely)

If that still doesn't work, restart your computer and make sure the setting is still off before trying the game again.

Thank you for the update WkdPaul.

I'm glad you were able to find a solution to the issue. Thank you for the information as well. Hopefully this will help someone else who has this issue.

This thread will be moved to the 'Closed Concerns' subforum as the issue has been resolved.

Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.