How to Fix “Administrator Access Denied” Error

Order is a fundamental aspect when working with a computer, as it allows us to organize the information it contains so that we can find it more quickly and thus group everything together. The use of folders in Windows 10 brings some order to the managed elements, since we can categorize them and thus manage everything much more easily.

Although we could initially only access a folder on our computer by double-clicking, many Windows users have received the following error message when opening a folder: “Administrator access denied” When we get this error message, we are unable to open the folder even if we click on the “Next” option.

This can be a bit annoying because then we cannot access the data and information contained in the folder that we might need. Therefore, today mundobytes.com will solve this error with some practical methods, and thus restore the necessary access on your Windows 10 computer. To do this, You have to try different methods and techniques, which we will describe step by step.

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Common problems

Sometimes a message may appear "Access denied", even if you are using an administrator account. This problem accompanies many other similar ones reported by users:

• Windows folder access denied for administrator: Sometimes you get this message when trying to access a Windows folder. This is usually caused by an antivirus program that you should disable.
• Windows 10 Prompt Access Denied: If you get this error message on the line commands, run it as administrator and see if that fixes the problem.
• Cannot set new owner: Sometimes you cannot change the owner of a folder. This may be due to User Account Control, which should be disabled.
• Administrator access denied, delete folder, file: These are some similar errors reported by users, but you should be able to resolve them with one of our solutions.

How to Fix Administrator Access Denied Error

If you get an “Access Denied” error message on Windows, you are not alone. This is a fairly common problem related to permissions, the file system, etc. It occurs when you cannot open a file or folder, when you cannot start a service on your computer, when you cannot open a file online, when you cannot access a website, etc.

Error messages depend on the issue, for example, “Folder access denied.” Permissions are required to perform this action. You need TrustedInstaller permission to make changes to this folder, or “Location not available. E:³ is not available. Access denied.”

Problem 1: You cannot open a file or folder.

Symptoms.

When you try to open a file or folder in Microsoft Windows, you are unable to access it and receive an error message like:

1. “The folder is inaccessible.” Access is denied. (The folder is the name of the folder that cannot be accessed.)
2. “You do not currently have permission to access this folder.” Click Next to access this folder permanently.
3. “Access to this folder is denied. You must use the Security tab to access this folder.”

Causes.

An “Access Denied” error can occur for one or more of the following reasons:

1. The owner of the folder has changed.
2. You do not have the correct permissions
3. The file is encrypted.
4. Files are stored in a Windows.old folder on a previous system. This usually happens when you upgrade your computer to a new version of Windows.

Solution 1: Identify the owner of the file or folder in Windows.

• Select the file or folder you want to own and right click to Select “Properties” in the context menu.
• Select the Security tab and click Advanced. Then, click edit. If it asks for an administrator confirmation or password, confirm or enter it.
• Enter the name of the person you want to transfer ownership to and then click Verify Name.
• Select OK. If you want this person to be the owner of the folders and files stored in this folder, Select the Override Property check box of subcontainers and objects.
• Click OK.

Solution 2: Change permissions.

The “Access Denied” error message is often related to permissions. Permissions determine whether a user can open or modify files and folders. If access is denied, the specified location cannot be accessed.

If you are logged in as an administrator and still cannot access the folder, you can try changing the permissions. Note: You must be logged in as an administrator to change permissions.

Solution 3: Encrypted file or folder.

Encrypting your data is one of the best ways to protect it from unwanted access. Encrypted files or folders cannot be accessed without the corresponding certificate. You can check whether a folder is encrypted or not.

• Right click on the file or folder and select Properties.
• Select the General tab and then select Advanced.
• If encrypted content is selected for data protection, the file will be encrypted and you will need to request a certificate to open it.

Issue 2: File/folder access denied, error when editing or deleting files or folders.

Symptom.

When trying to delete, copy, move, or edit a file or folder on a computer, you may get stuck with an error message. "Access denied", indicating that the user is not authorized to perform these actions. The error message may look like this:

1. “File access denied” Permissions are required to perform this action. You must have TrustedInstaller permissions to make changes to this folder.
2. "Access to the destination folder is denied. You need permission to perform this action."

Causes.

This error may have the following causes:

1. The file to which access was denied is in use.
2. You don't have permission.
3. The file you can't move or edit is corrupted.
4. The user profile may be corrupted.

Solution 1: Take over the command line.

There are several methods to take ownership of a file or folder, and This solution changes the property using the command line. There is no problem if you follow the steps in the previous section to obtain ownership.

• Right-click the Start menu and select Symbol of the system (Admin). If you are asked for a password or confirmation, enter or confirm password.
• Confirm the path of the folder you want to copy. Let's say you want to capture the Pictures folder in drive E, which is located at E:\photos.
• Type the command takeown /f “full path to the file or folder”, which in this case should be takeown /f “E:photos”. Then, press the “Enter” key.
• Once the process is complete, restart your computer and check if the problem is resolved.

Solution 2: Remove corrupted files using third-party software.

Corrupted files can malfunction, and these files can be of any type, such as images, documents, system files, etc. Many corrupt files cannot be recovered or even deleted. This is an easier way to remove corrupted files.

• Download, install and run Eassos DiskGenius.
• Select the corrupted file or folder you want to delete, right-click and select Delete files directly.
• Click Delete to delete the selected file. Note: Files deleted this way will not be moved to the Recycle Bin. Make sure these files are no longer important to you.

Tips to avoid damaging files:

1. Save files correctly. If something goes wrong or an error occurs while saving files, they may become corrupted.
2. Safely disconnect the device from storage USB. Before removing USB devices, press Remove hardware safely and Eject Media.
3. Shut down your computer properly. To shut down your computer, press Start and then Shut Down, instead of pressing the power button directly.

Solution 3: Create a new local user account.

If the login failure is due to a corrupted account, you can resolve the issue by creating a new local user account/profile. To do so, follow the steps below:

• Click on the Start menu and select Settings. In the Windows Settings panel, click Accounts.
• Select Family & Others on the left, then Click Add Others to This team.

Issue 3: You receive an error message “The page is inaccessible. Access is denied.” Error message.

Symptom.

When you try to open a partition on a local hard drive or USB device, it fails to open and an error message is displayed:

1. Location not available. E:³ is not available. Access is denied.

Causes.

1. File system corruption. The drive's file system is corrupted, preventing access.
2. You do not have the necessary permissions.

Solution 1: Change disk permissions.

• In Windows Explorer, right-click the partition you cannot access and select Properties. Then click on Security -> Advanced.
• In Advanced Security Options, click Add, and then select Basic on the next screen.
• Enter the username you want to select, then select OK. Then, select the following information:
  • Type:
  • Applicable: This folder, subfolders and files
  • Basic permission: Full Control
• Click OK and Apply to save the changes.

Solution 2: Restore data from the inaccessible drive and format it.

If changing permissions does not help, you can recover data from the inaccessible drive and forma tear the drive to fix the error. If the location is inaccessible and you can't access it, you can easily recover your data. Below you will find instructions on how to recover data from a damaged drive.

• Install and run Eassos DiskGenius, then check if you can see the files on the partition directly. If not, move on to the next step.
• Select the inaccessible drive and click File Recovery on the toolbar. Make sure you have selected the correct partition.
• Select Full Recovery mode and click Start. A full scan for files and folders on the selected partition will begin.
• Preview files. Files found by Eassos DiskGenius will be automatically displayed during the scan and you can preview the listed files and folders to determine if they are valid or corrupted.
• Recover data. Select the files and folders you want to recover and right-click to select “Copy to”. Then you can select a location for the recovered data.

Issue 4: Error 5: Access denied.

Symptom.

After installing an application or game on your computer, you may not be able to access certain locations or edit files, and attempts to run certain services or programs may fail. The following error messages may appear:

1. «Windows could not start the sshd service on Local Computer. Error 5: Access is denied.»
2. «The installation failed to create a folder with the “full file path”. Error 5: Access is denied.»
3. «The file located in the temporary directory could not be executed. Configuration was interrupted. Error 5: Access is denied.

Causa.

The main reason for this error is a permissions issue. If you do not have administrator rights, or if the connected account is not an administrator account, you will get the error message “Access Denied”.

Solution 1: Resolve the temporary folder permissions issue.

• Double-click the computer icon to open Windows Explorer. Then, write %appdata%…local in the address bar and press the Enter key.
• Select the Temp folder, right click and select Properties. Click the Security tab and then the Advanced button.
• Verify that the Override permissions for all child objects with permissions inherited by this object check box is selected.
• Select the items that are not inherited from the “C:username” folder and then click Delete. Click the Apply button and then click OK.

Solution 2: Make your account an administrator.

• Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog box, where you must type netplwiz and press Enter.
• Select the user account you want to make an administrator, and then Click Properties.
• Click on the Member tab and select Administrator, then click Apply and OK.

Issue 5: DiskPart has encountered an error: Access is denied.

Symptom.

When using DiskPart to erase a disk, the operation cannot be completed and an error message appears:

• DISKPART> delete
• An error occurred with DiskPart: Access is denied.

Reasons.

• You are not authorized.
• The device you want to erase is write-protected.

Solution 1: Run the command prompt as administrator.

• Make sure you are logged in as an administrator on your computer. If not, restart your computer and log in as administrator.
• Click on the Start menu and write cmd in the search box.
• Right-click on “cmd.exe” and select Run as administrator. If you are prompted for a password or confirmation, Enter your password or confirm it.

Solution 2: Remove write protection.

• Press Windows + R to start the program. Enter regedit in the Run dialog box and click OK to open the registry editor.
• In the registry editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_MACHINECurrentControlSetStorageDevicePolicies.
• Right click on WriteProtect and change the value to 0.

Summary

In this article, we have discussed the Access Denied error in 5 scenarios and provided step-by-step solutions for each issue. We hope you find these solutions helpful. If you find them useful, please share them to help more people. If you have questions or better solutions, please let us know or contact us.

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