4 Ways to Fix Location Is Not Available Error in Windows 11

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Fix 1: Enable Full Control Permission for the Drive

Insufficient permission to access a drive can trigger the “Location is not available” error accompanied by an “Access is denied” message in Windows 11. To fix this, you must obtain full control over the problematic drive in Windows.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Eto open File Explorer and navigate toThis PC.

Step 2:Right-click on the problematic drive and selectProperties.

Step 3:Under theSecuritytab, click theEditbutton.

Step 4:TickAllowforFull control. Then, hitApply, followed byOK.

Fix 2: Check the Drive for Bad Sectors

If changing drive permissions does not help, there may be an issue with your drive. To check for this possibility,use the check disk utilityto scan your drive for bad sectors.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Eto open File Explorer on Windows. Right-click on the problematic drive and selectProperties.

Step 2:In the Properties windows, switch to theToolstab and click theCheckbutton.

Step 3:SelectScan driveto begin the check disk operation.

Depending on the drive size, this process might take a while. If the scan reveals any errors, follow the on-screen prompts to resolve them.

Fix 3: Change the Drive Letter

Windows 11 may also throw the “Location is not available” error due to conflicting drive letters. Try changing the drive letter for the affected drive to see if that helps.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog box. Typediskmgmt.mscin the Open field and pressEnter.

Step 2:Right-click on your drive and selectChange Drive Letter and Paths.

Step 3:Click theChangebutton and select a new letter from the drop-down menu. Then, clickOK.

Fix 4: Scan for Corrupt System Files

Lastly, if none of the above fixes work or you encounter this error across drives, some system files on your PC may be corrupt or missing. So,run the SFC (System File Checker)scan, followed by a DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan to fix damaged system files.

Step 1:Right-click theStart iconand selectTerminal (Admin)from the resulting menu.

Step 2:Paste the following command in the console and pressEnterto run the SFC scan:

Step 3:Run the DISM scan by entering the following commands one by one and pressingEnterafter each command:

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Last updated on 08 May, 2024

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