Fixes

Easily Fix You don’t Currently have Permission to Access this Folder Error

A lot of users have been coming to us with the You don’t Currently have Permission to Access This Folder error and in this article, we have decided to make you aware of different steps and solutions that you can apply to get rid of this issue completely.

You don't Currently have Permission to Access this Folder
You don’t currently have permission to access this folder

Make sure to also read through the reasons due to which the error occurs in the first place and ensure to apply the solutions one by one in the given order until one of them fixes the error message for you.

What Causes the You don’t Currently have Permission to Access This Folder Error on Windows?

After going through user feedback, we came to the conclusion that the following must be the leading causes behind this error.

  • Ownership Issue: Since the error message is mostly related to an ownership issue, it is possible that the folder that you are trying to open has another owner which has restricted its access and due to this the ‘You don’t Currently have Permission to Access This Folder’ error is being seen. A good way to overcome this has been highlighted below.
  • Read-Only Configuration: Sometimes, the folder that you are trying to access might have been set as Read-only due to which you might not be able to access or change anything on it. Therefore, removing this might fix the ‘You don’t Currently have Permission to Access This Folder error’ on a USB or an external hard drive.
  • Admin Account: If the Administrator account on your device has been disabled, all sort of ownership issues can crop up out of nowhere. Therefore, we suggest that you enable it and then check to see if doing so fixes the issue for you.
  • Local Group Policy Configuration: Sometimes, the Local Group Policy might not be properly configured due to which you might run into the ‘You don’t Currently have Permission to Access This Folder’ error on your computer. Therefore, we suggest that you try and fix this issue by making some modifications to it.

Now that you have been taken through almost all of the reasons behind this error, we can finally start implementing the solutions.

Before You Start:

To begin with, just follow a simple troubleshooting tip initially which is to restart your computer because sometimes just power cycling your device can eradicate the issue.

Fixing you don’t currently have permission to access this folder windows 10 issue:

Solution 1: Change the Ownership Of the Folder

  1. Right-click on the “Folder” causing errors, from the drop-down menu click to select “Properties”. In the Properties window click on the “Security” tab at the top and then select the “Advanced” button.
    Clicking on the "Advanced" button inside Security Permissions Setting
    Clicking on the “Advanced” button
  2. In the Advanced Security settings go to the “Owners” tab at the top and then click on “Change”, you will now see the “User” or “Group Window”.
  3. Once again click on “Advanced” in the new window, now in the blank enter your correct “Username” and then click on “Check Names”.
  4. Once written down click on “Replace Owner On Sub Containers and Objects”, then select “OK” to save all the changes.
    Clicking on the "Replace Owner on Subcontainers and Objects" option
    Clicking on the “Replace Owner on subcontainers and Objects” option

Solution 2: Deselect the Read-Only Option

  1. Right-click on the affected “Folder” and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu.
  2. In the Properties window uncheck the box for the “Read Only” option at the bottom, once unchecked click on “Apply” and then “OK”.

Solution 3: Grant Permission To Everyone

  1. Right-click on the “Folder” showing up the error and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu, in the Properties window select the “Security” tab at the top.
  2. In the Security tab then click on the “Edit” button, in the pop-up window select “Add” and then type in “Everyone” in the blank.
    Clicking on "Add"
    Clicking on “Add” Option
  3. Next click on “Check Names” and then select “OK”, now go to the “Allow” section and there select “Everyone”.
  4. Then select “Full Control” and “Apply” all the changes made, in the end, hit the “OK” button, and most probably you don’t currently have permission to access this folder USB issue would be rectified.

Solution 4: Using Command Prompt

  1. In the search bar near the Start menu type in “Command Prompt”, from the list of results right-click on it and then select “Run As Administrator” from the drop-down menu.
  2. In the command prompt window type in the following command:
takeown /F “X” /A /R /D Y
  1. In place of “X” type in the “Full Address” of the folder, once typed in press “Enter” to execute the command.

You can also use the following command to give all the folder rights to yourself:

cacls X:\ /T /G username:F

“X” is the “Drive Letter” here.

Solution 5: Modify the Local Policy Settings

  1. Open up the “RUN” dialog box using the “Window + R” keys together on your keyboard, in the RUN prompt type in “gpedit.msc” and press “Enter”.
    Typing "gpedit.msc"
    Typing “gpedit.msc”
  2. In the pop-up window navigate to the following address in the left folders pane:
Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
  1. In the right pane now locate “User Account Control Admin Approval Mode” for the Built-in Administrator account.
  2. Once located double click the “Policy”, in the pop-up window select “Disabled”, now “Apply” all the changes made and click on “OK”.

Solution 6: Run Windows Explorer In Admin Mode

  1. Press the “Window + X” keys on your keyboard and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” from the pop-up menu.
  2. In the PowerShell window type in the following command and hit the “Enter” key:
 taskkill /f /FI “USERNAME eq $env:UserName”/im explorer.exe

Note: This command will end the current Explorer window.

  1. Once the Explorer window is ended, type in the next command which will help open up a new elevated Explorer:
c:\windows\explorer.exe /nouaccheck

Solution 7: Use HP Client Security Manager For USB Devices

HP Laptops users can employ the method below:

  1. Open up the “HP Client Security Manager” from the taskbar, in the HP Client Security click on “Device Security”.
    Choose device security to fix you don't currently have permission to access this folder issue
    Clicking Device Security Option
  2. In the Device Permission menu, click on the “Administrator” tab and change the “Removable Storage” settings to “Allow-Full Access” from the drop-down menu.
  3. Also if you want you can give “Full Access” to “Standard Users” as well.
  4. Once done click on “Submit”, close the window, and most probably you don’t currently have permission to access this folder external hard drive issue would be rectified.

Solution 8: Enable the Hidden Administrator Account

Every Window has two types of Admin accounts, one that is user-created and has a lot of privileges while the other is the System account and has control over the whole system. To get access to the Hidden admin account, proceed with these steps:

  1. Open up the “Command Prompt” window from the search bar.
  2. In the Command Prompt window type in the following command and press “Enter”:
net user administrator /active:yes
  1. To disable the hidden account you can use the following command:
net user administrator /active:no

Solution 9: Share File With Everyone

  1. Select the “Files” causing errors, now right-click the files and select “Properties”. In the Properties window click on the “Sharing” tab at the top.
  2. In the Sharing tab select “Share”, in the blank bar type in “Everyone” and then select “Add”.
  3. Once done click on “Share” at the bottom to confirm all the changes.

Solution 10: Create A Local Admin Account

  1. Press the “Window + I” keys on your keyboard to open up “Settings”, in the Settings window select “Accounts” and then click on “Family and Others Users” in the left pane.
    Choose Family and Other Option
    Choose Family and Other Option
  2. Next click on “Add Someone Else To This PC” under Other Users, in the next window select “I Don’t Have This Person’s Sign-in Information”.
  3. Now click on “Add A User Without a Microsoft Account”, enter a name or password if you want, once the account is created you will now have to change it to an “Admin Account”.
    Add a user without a microsoft account
    Add a user without a Microsoft account
  4. Then go back in to “Settings > Accounts > Family and Other Users”.
  5. Select the new account you created and change the account type to “Administrator”, once done click on “OK”.
  6. Check to see if doing so fixes the You don’t Currently have Permission to Access This Folder error.

Solution 11: Disable Safe-Box

  1. Right-click on the “Troublesome Folder/File” and select “Safe-Box”, in the next menu now click on “Disable Password” to see a list of files/folders in the Safe Box.
  2. Next, select the “Lock” with the file/folder and then remove the file/folder from the safe box.
  3. Once done close all the windows, try to re-open your file, and hopefully, you don’t currently have permission to access this folder server 2016 issue would be rectified.

Solution 12: Recover Files

If none of the solutions mentioned above worked for you then all you can do is to recover your lost files inside the folder, this can be done using any third-party program like EaseUS or Recuva. These programs have a ton of options and are very easy to use too.

Hopefully, the above-indexed methods will help you solve your problem easily but if the error continues to persist then feel free to Contact Us here.

Alan Adams

Alan is a hardcore tech enthusiast that lives and breathes tech. When he is not indulged in playing the latest video games, he helps users with technical problems that they might run into. Alan is a Computer Science Graduate with a Masters in Data Science.
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