Fix DV_E_DVASPECT 0X8004006B Invalid Aspect Error

Quick answer for the impatient

Delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00000315-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\Aspect and reboot. That kills the stale aspect data causing the fail.

What’s actually happening?

You’re looking at 0X8004006B which maps to DV_E_DVASPECT. COM (Component Object Model) objects have multiple visual representations: icon, thumbnail, full content, etc. When your app asks for one of these — say an icon from a clipboard paste or an OLE object render — and the system can't find the matching aspect data in the registry, COM throws this error.

I first ran into this at a small real estate office. Their CRM would crash on copy-pasting property photos. The error was dead-stuck until I nuked that registry entry. It’s not a generic “repair Office” problem — it’s a specific COM registration corruption.

Most times this shows in:
- Clipboard operations in Office, especially with embedded objects
- OLE drag-and-drop between apps
- CAD or design software that uses COM for object embedding
- Old VB6 or Delphi apps that rely on standard COM rendering

Step-by-step fix (the one that works)

Press Win + R, type regedit, hit Enter.

Navigate to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00000315-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\Aspect

Right-click the Aspect key — choose Delete. Confirm yes.
Close Regedit, reboot your machine.
Test the operation that gave the error.

That’s it. The system regenerates the aspect data on next use.

Alternative fixes if the main one doesn’t cut it

If deleting that key didn’t help, or if you’re squeamish about registry edits:

Re-register COM components: Open an admin Command Prompt, run:
```
regsvr32 /u ole32.dll
regsvr32 ole32.dll
```
Then reboot. This re-registers COM infrastructure. I’ve seen it fix weird aspect issues in Office 2016.
Check for corrupt shell extensions: Run ShellExView (NirSoft, free). Disable non-Microsoft shell extensions one by one, test after each. Some shell extensions mess with thumbnail providers.
System File Checker: sfc /scannow from an admin CMD. Rarely helps for this specific error, but costs nothing.

How to prevent it from coming back

This usually happens after a failed software uninstall or an update that partially broke COM registration. To prevent: always use the official uninstaller, never delete COM keys manually unless you know what you’re doing, and avoid registry cleaners — they often strip valid aspect entries.

If you see the error recurring, check the Windows Application event log (Event Viewer) for source OLE or COM entries. That’ll pinpoint which app triggered it.

Pro tip: Keep a system restore point before any COM tweaks. I’ve had clients delete the wrong key and break their entire Office suite. Restore point saved their day.

Bottom line: 0X8004006B is a cleanable COM snafu, not a hardware fail. The registry delete fix works 9 times out of 10. Stop wasting time reinstalling software.