manifest file

Question

manifest file

Joel Owens 0

C:\windows\system32\tower.main

Manifest file is missing or unreadable

EmilyS726 280.2K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-11-12T01:36:18.57+00:00

Hello,

You've provided a message and a file path, but absolutely no context about when or how this happens. That makes troubleshooting unnecessarily difficult. We can't see what's happening on your computer, so we need more than just an error message to understand the problem.

For starters, does this error appear when you start Windows, open Chrome or Edge, or launch a particular application?

Also, have you recently installed or uninstalled any software, particularly Trend Micro Password Manager?

If you previously had Trend Micro installed, we can investigate that possibility. But first, please provide some context so we're not just guessing at the cause.

2 answers

Your answer

EmilyS726 280.2K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-11-12T01:36:18.57+00:00

Hello,

You've provided a message and a file path, but absolutely no context about when or how this happens. That makes troubleshooting unnecessarily difficult. We can't see what's happening on your computer, so we need more than just an error message to understand the problem.

For starters, does this error appear when you start Windows, open Chrome or Edge, or launch a particular application?

Also, have you recently installed or uninstalled any software, particularly Trend Micro Password Manager?

If you previously had Trend Micro installed, we can investigate that possibility. But first, please provide some context so we're not just guessing at the cause.

Answer 1

Hello Joel Owens,

To add to Emily's note above: C:\Windows\System32\tower_main (often typed tower.main) is not a Windows system file—it's a known error tied to Trend Micro Password Manager (either when it's installed or after it's been uninstalled), rather than something you need to repair Edge or run a full malware scan for first.

If you're seeing this at Windows startup, Trend Micro's own support team recommends going to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and turning off "Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in", then restarting your PC (Trend Micro Community).

If you still have Trend Micro Password Manager installed (or recently removed it), uninstalling and reinstalling it—or running Trend Micro's cleanup/uninstaller if leftovers remain—usually clears the broken reference.

Also, if the popup appears specifically when you open Microsoft Edge, right-click the Edge shortcut you use, open Properties, and check the Target field: if there is a leftover --load-extension=... flag pointing to tower_main or tower.main, removing that flag will stop the error (edge://extensions won't catch command-line flags).

Answer 2

Disable the Edge extension or Windows startup entry that references C:\Windows\System32\tower.main; do not create a replacement manifest or delete files manually from System32.

An Edge extension must have a readable file named manifest.json, so this message indicates that Edge was directed to a location that is not a valid extension folder or whose manifest no longer exists.^1^

1. Remove the invalid Edge extension

If Edge remains open long enough:

Enter edge://extensions in Edge’s address bar.
Turn off every extension you do not recognize.
Close and reopen Edge.
If the error disappears, enable extensions individually until it returns.
Select Remove for the extension that triggers it.

This is the recommended approach for the same “couldn’t load the extension—manifest file is missing or unreadable” error on Windows 11.^2^

2. Check Windows startup references

If the message appears when signing in, rather than only when opening Edge:

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
Open Startup apps.
Disable any unknown entry or anything associated with tower.main.
Restart Windows and test Edge.

Also check scheduled tasks:

Open Start, search for Task Scheduler, and run it.
Select Task Scheduler Library.
Inspect each task’s Actions tab.
Disable—not delete—any task whose action references:
- tower.main
- tower_main
- C:\Windows\System32\tower.main
- Edge with an unfamiliar extension-loading argument
Restart and test.

Disabling first is safer because the available evidence does not identify which program created this reference. A matching Windows\System32\tower_main report occurred after a Windows update, but its published answer does not establish the file’s origin.^3^

3. Scan for unwanted software

Because an unexplained item is attempting to load from System32:

Open Windows Security.
Select Virus & threat protection.
Select Scan options.
Run a Full scan.
Remove or quarantine only items identified by Windows Security.

Microsoft’s Edge troubleshooting guidance recommends a malware scan when Edge does not open or behaves unexpectedly.^4^

4. Repair Edge if it still will not open

Close Edge for every signed-in Windows user.
Go to Start → Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
Find Microsoft Edge, select its menu, and choose Modify.
Approve the administrator prompt.
Select Repair while connected to the internet.

Repair should preserve browser data and settings. If Modify is unavailable on an organization-managed computer, contact its administrator.^4^

Do not download a random tower.main or manifest.json, and do not delete arbitrary files from C:\Windows\System32; the broken reference, rather than a legitimate Windows file, may be what needs removal.

References