Fix You don't Currently have Permission to Access this Folder (8 Ways)

Need to fix the problem as soon as possible

"I have an external hard drive that I have been using for a long time to store my work files. However, when I recently accessed this external drive, I received an error message that you are not currently authorized to access this folder. This is a real headache, as I can confirm that the current user account is the administrator of this computer, the external drive has been working fine for a long time, and I was even able to use it to transfer data to another computer. Now my work is messed up by this problem, can anyone give reasonable advice? I have to find a way to fix it as soon as possible."

When you use your computer, one of the most common data structures you come across should be the folder, where you can usually access all the files, applications or information with just two clicks. However, some users have reported that when they try to access a folder, they are prompted with the message "you don't currently have permission to access this folder", and even if you click Continue, you still cannot access the folder, as described in the case above.

This problem can occur not only on your computer's local disk, but also on devices such as external hard drives and USB flash drives, and can cause problems such as you do not currently have access to the folder of this external hard drive or you do not currently have access to the folder of this USB, which can be quite troublesome. In order not to affect your work and life, we recommend that you first understand the cause of this problem and try to solve it accordingly.

Why you don't currently have permission to access this folder?

Many users do not pay attention to the reason of "You currently do not have access to this folder" in Windows 10 and just want to solve the problem as soon as possible. But in fact, an exploration of the causes of this problem will help you better understand the following solutions, below is a summary of the common causes of this problem, please refer to it before you start to solve it.

• The user or group has been removed from the "Groups or Users" list in the folder
• The user or group incorrectly turned on the "reject" feature
• The conflict between New Technology File System (NTFS) permissions and share permissions

8 ways to resolve "you don't currently have permission to access this folder"

If you are struggling with the problem of "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" in Windows, please try the following 8 methods in order, I believe they can help you solve the problem.

• Change folder ownership
• Cancel the "Read Only" option
• Get ownership by takeown command
• Granting permissions to everyone
• Permission to grant full control to everyone
• Grant access to user accounts
• Modify the local group policy editor
• Enable hidden administrator account

Method 1. Change folder ownership

If you upgraded to Windows 10 from another version, some folders may be automatically locked after the upgrade and cause the "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" issue. Therefore, you will need to change the ownership of these folders.

1. Find the folder with the problem, right-click on it, and select  Properties in the expanded menu.
2. Switch to the Security tab at the top of the  Properties window and tap the Advanced button.
3. In the Advanced Security Settings window, find the Owner section and click the Change button next to it.
4. In the Select Users or Groups window, enter your account name, click the Check Name button, and then click OK.
5. Go back to the Advanced Security Settings window, check the box in the lower-left corner to replace all child objects' permission items with permission items that can be inherited from this object, and click OK.

Try opening this folder again and see if you can access it properly. If you still receive the message that you do not have access to, go to the next method.

Method 2. Cancel the "read-only" option

If a folder is set to "read-only", then when you try to access it, you will receive a message saying "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" and you will need to deselect the "read-only "option. Although this method only works in a few cases, it is a worthwhile method to try anyway. 

1. Open Windows File Explorer via Windows+E, find the folder with the problem, right-click it and select Properties in the expanded menu.
2. At the bottom of the General tab, uncheck the Read-only checkbox, and tap OK to save the changes.

Try opening this folder again and see if you can access it properly. If you still receive the message that you do not have access to, go to the next method.

Method 3. Get ownership by takeown command

If you have confirmed that multiple folders are inaccessible and you have a "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" problem, it is recommended that you obtain ownership of the Windows root folder via a specific command prompt character.

1. Use Windows+S to open the search box, type cmd, and select Run as administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter to execute the command.

TAKEOWN /F path of the file (or folder)\file (or folder) name /R /D Y, please replace the path of the file (or folder)\file (or folder) name part with the path or name of the actual file or folder.

3. Enter the following command again and press Enter to execute the command.

ICACLS path of the file (or folder)\file (or folder) name /grant administrators:F, again you need to replace the path of the file (or folder)\file (or folder) name section with the actual file or folder.

Try opening this folder again and see if you can access it properly. If you still receive the message that you do not have access to, go to the next method.

Method 4. Granting permissions to everyone

Based on some user feedback, you can also resolve the "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" issue by granting permissions to everyone.

Find the local disk (C:) in the Windows Explorer and select the Users folder.

1. And right-click on it and select Properties in the expanded menu.
2. Switch to the Security tab at the top of the Properties window and tap the Edit button.
3. In the Security window, tap the Add button.
4. Type Everyone and click Check Names, and then click OK.

Method 5. Permission to grant full control to everyone

1. Locate the problematic folder in Windows Explorer and right-click on it and select Properties in the expanded menu.
2. Switch to the Security tab at the top of the Properties window and tap the Edit button.
3. In the Security window, find the Group and User Names section and select Everyone in the list below.
4. In the Permissions section of Everyone, check the Full Control checkbox and then click OK to save the changes.

Try opening this folder again and see if you can access it properly. If you still receive the message that you do not have access to, go to the next method.

Method 6. Grant access to user accounts

1. Locate the problematic folder in Windows Explorer and right-click on it and select Properties in the expanded menu.
2. Switch to the Security tab at the top of the content window and tap the Edit button.
3. In the Security window, click the Add button.
4. In the Select Users or Groups window, tap Advanced in the lower-left corner.
5. Find and tap the Find Now button in the new window, and find your user name in the search results list and tap OK.

Restart your computer and try opening this folder again to see if you can access it properly. If you still receive the message that you do not have access to, please go to the next method.

Method 7. Modify the local group policy editor

In addition to these methods, you can also grant permissions through the local group policy editor and resolve the "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" issue.

1. Use Windows+R to open the Executive window, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
2. Navigate to Computer settings > Windows settings > Security settings > Local policies > Security options.
3. In the right panel, select User Account Control: Administrator approval mode for the built-in Administrator account and double-click to open it.
4. Under the Local Security Settings tab, select Disabled and tap OK.

Restart your computer and try opening this folder again to see if you can access it properly. If you still receive the message that you do not have access, please go to the next method.

Method 8. Enable hidden administrator account

In Windows operating systems, there are two types of administrator users. One can be created and has some privileges on the system; the other is an integrated system administrator account with absolute control over the system, but for security reasons this administrator account is hidden by default, but we can enable it with specific commands to solve the "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" problem. The problem.

1. Use Windows+S to open the search box, type cmd and select  Run as administrator.

2. In the Command Prompt Character Window, type net user administrator /active:yes and press Enter to execute the command.

3. Next, you can simply switch to the hidden administrator account to open any folder. If you do not want to use this administrator account, you can disable it again by typing net user administrator /active:no in the Command Prompt window and pressing Enter.

Create a file backup image to prevent data loss

The "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" problem will cause some problems, both at work and in life, so you need to try the above 8 methods to access any file or folder you want more smoothly, after understanding the cause of the problem. To avoid a similar situation again, it is recommended to use AOMEI Backupper Standard to perform a file backup, which will largely reduce the possibility of data loss.

AOMEI Backupper Standard provides you with free and professional file backup in Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 etc. It allows you to easily backup important files or folders on your computer to any location, including backup file to cloud, local disks, NAS devices, etc. Next, we will introduce you the detailed steps to use AOMEI Backupper Standard to backup your files.

First, you need to download and install the software. If you are a Windows Server user, you can select AOMEI Backupper Server.

Step 1. Firstly, open this backup software, and select Backup > File Backup. 

Tip: You can also backup files to AOMEI Cloud with Cloud  Backup feature and  enjoy 1TB free storage in 15 days after you registry an AOMEI account.

Step 2. Then you can click Add File or Add Folder to select the files or folders to be backed up.

Step 3. You need to select a destination location to store your file backup.

Step 4. Confirm all your operations and click Start Backup to backup files.

Notes:

• Options: You can write comments to distinguish the backup tasks, compress or split the backup image file as well as enable email notification.
• Schedule Backup: This software allows you to backup files with fixed intervals, including Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger and USB plug in.
• Scheme: You can choose different backup methods. To help you save disk space by deleting older backups, you can enable automatic backup cleanup feature

Summary

If you are having trouble with the "you don't currently have permission to access this folder" problem, you can learn the cause of the problem and use the 8 methods mentioned in it to solve the problem. However, your computer may still have similar problems, so it is recommended to use AOMEI Backupper Standard for file backup, which will largely reduce the possibility of data loss.

AOMEI Backupper Standard has a clear and easy-to-use interface that allows you to backup selected files or folders to any desired location in just a few simple steps for quick recovery when needed. In addition, the software also provides you with Partition Backup, System Clone, Disk Clone and other functions to meet your needs for data security.