6 Ways to Fix “Folder Access Denied” Error on Windows

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Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Check Admin Rights

The user account you are using to access the folder doesn’t have the necessaryadministrative rights. If it is your work laptop, switch the user account or contact the system administrator responsible for the IT equipment.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + X> selectComputer Managementor search for it from the Start menu.

Step 2:Navigate toSystem Tools>Local Users and Groups>Users> double-click theuser account nameto open it.

Step 3:Click on theAddbutton under the Member Of tab.

Step 4:Typeadministratorsin the pop-up that follows and select theCheck Namesbutton to find the admin account. Then, click onOK.

Step 5:You will be taken back to the previous pop-up, where you will notice theAdministratorsentry. Click on it once and selectOK.

Also Read:How to access the WindowsApps folder on Windows

Fix 2: Change Folder Permissions

If you see the message ‘Folder Access Denied As Admin’, you can modify the permissions and take ownership of the folder.

Step 1:Right-clickon the folder throwing the access denied error and selectProperties. You can also press the Alt + Enter keys to open it.

Step 2:Under theSecuritytab, select theEditbutton. In the pop-up that follows, select your username and give itFull Control.

Fix 3: Disable Hidden Folders

If you’re trying to access ahidden folder, you might encounter an error message.

Step 1:In the start menu, search forFile Explorer Optionsand click on the first result.

Step 2:Once opened, click onView.

Step 3:Check the option forShow hidden files, folders, and drives. Click onOKto apply the settings.

Fix 4: Turn off Controlled Folder Access

Windows Security Suite also has a ransomware module to protect against such threats. You can find it underWindows Security>Virus & Threat Protection.

Disable Controlled folder accesshere and try again. You should be able to access the folder now. Proceed with caution, as you may incur a security risk once you disable the option.

Fix 5: Turn off User Account Control

Disabling User Account Control (UAC) can potentially help you fix “Folder Access Denied” errors on your Windows PC by reducing certain restrictions on file and folder access.

Step 1:Search forUACin the Start menu and openChange User Account Control settings.

Step 2:Drag the sliderto the bottom towards theNever Notifyand save settings.

The Windows access denied error should not appear again when opening that folder.

Fix 6: Use Registry Editor

You can try tweaking the registry settings if you can’t access a folder.

We recommend taking abackup of registry filesbefore making any edits if something goes wrong. These are system-level files and can mess up your computer. You don’t want that.

Step 1:Search for theRegistry Editorin the Start menu and open it.

Step 2:Navigate to the folder structure below.

Step 3:In the right window pane, right-click to selectNew > DWORD (32-bit) Valueand name the file asAllowInsecureGuestAuth.

Step 4:Double-clickto open the file, input the value as1,and save changes.

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Last updated on 04 September, 2024

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