Here's how to Fix Windows Backup failed to get an exclusive lock on the EFI system partition:
- Restart your computer and retry the backup. This releases any handles that may be locking the EFI partition.
- Use DiskPart to remove the lock on the EFI partition:
1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. Type "diskpart" and press enter.
3. Type "list volume" and identify the EFI system partition (usually 100MB).
4. Type "select volume x" where x is the volume number.
5. Type "remove letter=X" where X is the drive letter.
6. Type "exit" then retry the backup.
- Disable Fast Startup in Power options, as this can cause locking issues.
- Temporarily disable any third party encryption or security software that may be blocking access.
- Run CHKDSK and SFC scans to check for and repair file system errors.
- As a last resort, do a in place upgrade repair or reset Windows while keeping personal files and apps.
Be sure to backup the EFI partition separately before making any major changes. This error usually indicates something is interfering with the partition when Windows Backup runs.
0