How to fix Windows error 0x00000046

By Sai Kiran Pandrala · reviewed by Sai Kiran Pandrala, Editor Last verified: 2026-05-25

What is 0x00000046?

0x00000046 is a Windows system error code that bubbles up from the Windows networking stack (LANMAN, SMB, redirector). The symbolic name ERROR_SHARING_PAUSED belongs to the Windows networking stack (LANMAN, SMB, redirector), so when you see it the failure is almost always related to that area, not the app that happens to print the message. In plain English: the system is reporting that the remote server has been paused or is in the process of being started.

Application logs treat 0x00000046 as opaque, which is why the fix usually involves dropping one layer down: check the underlying API call, the OS resource it touched, and the permissions or state at the moment of the call. The original message is short on context for a reason. The kernel returns the code; the friendly text is up to whichever shell or app surfaces it.

When does 0x00000046 appear?

0x00000046 shows up in a handful of recurring situations. Knowing which one you are in saves you from random chair-spinning. Walk through the list below and tick off the scenario that matches what you were doing when the error landed.

• A file share host that is offline or unreachable on TCP 445.
• DNS resolution failing for the target host name.
• The Workstation or Server service stopped or stuck.
• An SMB sign-or-encrypt mismatch between client and server.
• A firewall rule that blocks the SMB or NetBIOS port.

How serious is 0x00000046?

Severity: Medium. On its own this is not a danger sign, it is a configuration or permissions signal. Treat it as a hint about what to check rather than a reason to panic. The error code itself is just a status return, the real question is what the caller was trying to do at the moment it fired. Always pair the code with the timestamp and the surrounding event log entries before deciding what to repair.

How to fix 0x00000046

Detect the failure (PowerShell, run as Administrator)

# Confirm that 0x00000046 is what you are looking at.
$errCode = [int]70
[System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception]::new($errCode).Message

# Pull recent system + application errors that match this code.
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; Level=1,2,3; StartTime=(Get-Date).AddHours(-24)} -MaxEvents 200 |
  Where-Object { $_.Message -match '0x00000046' -or $_.Message -match 'ERROR_SHARING_PAUSED' } |
  Select-Object TimeCreated, Id, ProviderName, Message | Format-List

Fix: network path and adapter check

# 1. Confirm the remote host and share are reachable.
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 'fileserver01' -Port 445
Get-SmbConnection

# 2. Refresh the local adapter cache and DNS.
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
Restart-Service -Name 'LanmanWorkstation','LanmanServer' -Force

# 3. Re-map the network drive cleanly.
net use Z: /delete /y
net use Z: \\fileserver01\share /persistent:yes

Verify the fix

# 1. Re-trigger the original operation and confirm no new event lands.
$before = Get-Date
# (run the previously failing command here)
Get-WinEvent -LogName System -MaxEvents 50 |
  Where-Object { $_.TimeCreated -ge $before -and $_.Message -match '0x00000046' }

# 2. Decode the error code one more time to confirm it is gone.
net helpmsg 70

Short-term workarounds for 0x00000046

If you cannot fix the root cause right now, these reduce the impact without papering over the real issue:

• Run the failing process elevated until you can fix the underlying permission or driver problem.
• Schedule the failing job during a quieter window so the resource pressure is lower.
• Add a retry-with-backoff wrapper around the failing call so transient cases do not page anyone.
• Tag the affected host in your monitoring so the same error stops triggering after the fix lands.

Quick verify checklist for 0x00000046

• The failing operation completes cleanly twice in a row.
• No new event referencing the code appears in the System or Application log for the next 24 hours.
• net helpmsg returns the expected description for the code on the repaired host.
• The user who originally hit the error can repeat the action without elevation tricks.

Frequently asked questions

What does 0x00000046 mean exactly?

The system is reporting that the remote server has been paused or is in the process of being started.

Is 0x00000046 dangerous?

In isolation it is mostly an indicator, not a vulnerability. Think of it as a return code, not a security alert. The real risk lives in what the code is masking: a stale permission, a missing dependency, or a resource that drained out. Address the root cause and the message clears on its own.

Will reinstalling fix 0x00000046?

Hardly ever the answer. A full Windows reinstall is overkill for what is generally a permission, registry, or driver issue. Work through the steps above and reserve a reinstall for the case where SFC, DISM, and the chkdsk pass all come back clean and the error stays.

How is 0x00000046 different from 0x80070005?

They share an address space, but each code maps to a different subsystem. 0x00000046 is the one your machine reported, and the neighbouring codes carry their own root causes and remediations. Read the exact code; do not treat the cluster as one bug.

How do I find out which process is throwing 0x00000046?

Launch Event Viewer, then filter System and Application by the minute the error landed. Match ProviderName and ProcessId to name the caller. From an elevated PowerShell prompt, Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable with 0x00000046 in the message returns the same result in one query.

Related error codes

Codes that sit in neighbouring corners of the same subsystem. Worth a glance if the fix above did not land:

• Windows error 0x00000002 (file not found)
• Windows error 0x00000005 (access denied)
• Windows error 0x00000057 (invalid parameter)
• Windows error 0x00000020 (sharing violation)
• Windows error 0x00000070 (disk full)

Related fixes

Related guides worth a look while you sort this one out:

• How to fix Windows error 0x00000040
• How to fix Windows error 0x00000041
• How to fix Windows error 0x00000042
• How to fix Windows error 0x00000043
• How to fix Windows error 0x00000044
• How to fix Windows error 0x00000045

References

• Microsoft Learn, System Error Codes (0-499): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/debug/system-error-codes--0-499-
• Microsoft Learn, HRESULT structure: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/seccrypto/common-hresult-values
• Microsoft MS-ERREF full reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/windows_protocols/ms-erref/
• Microsoft Learn, Win32 debugging tools: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/

Field notes from real Windows incidents

When I work on the 0x00000046 symptom the rhythm I lean on is the one I have built over years of these tickets, not a stack of generic advice. Windows error codes come in a handful of families; once you recognise the family, the doc page is one search away. STOP codes look terrifying but the first DWORD almost always points directly at the responsible driver.

Reliability Monitor is the single most underused triage surface in Windows — it gives 30 days of crash history without writing a query. DISM RestoreHealth needs network or a known-good source image; the most common cause of a failed RestoreHealth is a blocked Windows Update endpoint.

Tools I actually reach for

For the 0x00000046 symptom on Windows the cheapest signal I can land usually comes from Windows Error Lookup Tool (err.exe), then Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc), WinDbg for STOP code analysis, DISM and sfc when Windows Error Lookup Tool (err.exe) cannot see the layer the fault sits in, and PowerShell Get-WinEvent for the cases where neither of those answers cleanly. That ordering is not academic. It matches the layers the failure tends to surface through, so the cheap signal lands first and the heavier tooling only comes out when the simpler answer does not hold up under scrutiny.

Verification I run before I close the ticket

Before I mark the 0x00000046 symptom resolved on a Windows unit, the verification loop below is what I actually run. Each step proves a different layer is green, and the order matters - the cheap checks gate the more expensive ones.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

wevtutil epl System system.evtx  # export for offline review

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

sfc /scannow

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; Level=1,2; StartTime=(Get-Date).AddDays(-7)}

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

err.exe 0xXXXXXXXX  # symbolic decode

Only when every line above runs clean do I close the ticket and update the runbook with the timestamps.

Where I check first when the docs disagree

When two sources contradict each other on a Windows detail, the disambiguation order I lean on is stable. I usually start at github.com/microsoft/Windows-Driver-Frameworks for the ground-truth view on Windows. I usually start at support.microsoft.com for the ground-truth view on Windows. I usually start at learn.microsoft.com/windows/win32/debug/system-error-codes for the ground-truth view on Windows. Random blog posts and reseller wikis are signal, not ground truth, and I treat them as such until the references above either confirm or contradict the claim.

Pitfalls I have walked into on this exact path

The shortcuts that look smart on the 0x00000046 symptom have a habit of biting back. The pitfalls below are the ones I have personally walked into on a Windows unit, not things I read about. DISM RestoreHealth needs network or a known-good source image; the most common cause of a failed RestoreHealth is a blocked Windows Update endpoint. Reliability Monitor is the single most underused triage surface in Windows, it gives 30 days of crash history without writing a query. When in doubt I revert to the slower path that the manual prescribes - the time I save by skipping it is always smaller than the time I spend cleaning up afterwards.

What I tell the next on-call

When I hand the 0x00000046 symptom off to the next person on rotation, the three lines I leave in the runbook are these. First, the symptom signature for Windows on the Windows family - not a paraphrase, the exact string that surfaces. Second, the diagnostic that gave the highest signal in the least time. Third, the exact verification command whose green output justified closing the ticket. That trio is what turns a one-off fix into a runbook entry the next engineer can use without paging me at three in the morning.

I also add a one-line note on the cost of getting this wrong. For the 0x00000046 symptom on a Windows unit, the cost is rarely the replacement part. It is the downtime, the second site visit, and the trust deficit you spend with whoever owns the asset when the fix does not hold. That framing keeps the next on-call from choosing the cheap-looking shortcut that ends up costing the most in elapsed hours and goodwill.