If you are stuck in a situation where Windows stops you from accessing your own data, then I may be able to help you turn the tide. There could be multiple reasons why you may be seeing “Access denied” error when you try to access or modify a folder. In this post, I will try to list all the possible solutions to the Windows access denied error. Note: The following methods will only work if you have administrator rights of the PC. If you have a standard account, then you should talk to the PC administrator about this, as standard accounts have a limited access. Read Also: 6 Ways to Access Windows 10 Boot Options Menu Method 1: Take ownershipUsually, this error arises when there is a conflict with the ownership of the folder. This occurs after upgrading to a new version of Windows or messing with the user control options. Fortunately, as an administrator, you should have no problem becoming the owner again.
This should solve your access denied issue and let you access the folder and its content. If you don’t want to go through the above process or somehow it didn’t work for you, then a third-party tool can do this for you as well. Take Ownership is a handy tool that will add a context menu entry to easily take ownership. After installing the tool, right-click on the folder and select Take Ownership from the context menu to become the owner. Method 3: Use hidden administrator accountApart from the regular administrator account, there’s another hidden administrator account that’s much more powerful and has access to most areas of Windows. If you can’t access the folder due to any privilege issue, then this high privileged administrator account should be able to open it. Note: It is not advised to use elevated administrator account regularly as it gives access to areas you should not be skipping around (the reason why it’s hidden). When you are done using it, you should disable it. When you manage to access the restricted folder in this account, make sure you move it’s content to a different place where the regular administrator account works. Read Also: How to Enable Built-in Administrator Account on Windows 8 [Quicktip] Method 3: Check if it’s encryptedThere is a chance that the folder is encrypted, which is why you are getting the Access denied error. Here’s how to check if it is encrypted:
You should contact the user who encrypted this folder and have them decrypt it from their account. Read Also: Top 10 Online Storage Solutions with Encryption Method 4: Use the Unlocker toolUnlocker is a handy folder unlocker tool that will help you solve many folder access issues with a single click. Just install the tool and it will add an entry in the context menu. Right-click on the restricted folder and select Unlocker. The tool will scan the folder and show what is stopping you from accessing the folder. You just need to click on Unlock All here and Unlocker will automatically fix all the issues. Method 5: Access it from the Safe ModeThere is also a chance a third-party application or virus may be preventing you from accessing the folder. You should start the PC in Safe mode and then try accessing the folder. In Windows 8 and 10, you can access the Safe mode from the boot options, and in Windows 7 you can press the F8 key multiple times while the PC is starting to open Safe mode menu. Safe mode starts the PC with limited drivers and no third-party apps, so no app or virus should stop you from accessing the folder. If you can access it in the Safe mode, then try deleting recently installed apps and scan your PC for viruses with a good antivirus software, such as Avast. Method 6: Try another user accountThere is a chance your user profile may get corrupted and Windows may not be able to open files/folders in it. Try accessing the data from another user account to confirm this. In case you don’t have another user account, then you can easily create one. You should refer to these guides by Microsoft support to create new user account in Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10. Wrap upThe access denied error usually occurs when you have limited authority or the folder is not in the reach of your user account. Taking ownership of the folder or using the hidden administrator account should solve this problem. And of course, there could be many other types of system and application based errors that may prevent you from modifying the folder, but the Unlocker utility should be able to take care of them automatically. from http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/access-restricted-windows-folder/
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