4 Ways to Fix Windows 11/10 Destination Folder Access Denied

You can learn reasons for Windows 11 destination folder access denied and 4 ways to fix it as well as the best way to prevent data loss. Keep reading for more details.

By @Jonna Last Updated January 26, 2024

Why Windows 11 Destination Folder Access Denied?

An access denied in Windows is a common problem indicating that you do not have permission to view a file or folder. This can be caused by many reasons. This article summarizes the common causes below.

  • No permission to view files: Because you have not approved in your computer settings. It is possible that your username is not reserved as administrator.
  • Third-party antivirus software: Some programs can mistake the real setup wizard for something else, otherwise, it is a false positive detection.
  • The file is encrypted: Your file may be encrypted causing this error. You can check if you have set up encrypted files before.

How to Fix Windows 11/10 Destination Folder Access Denied

What to do when destination folder access denied? In the following, this article will introduce you to 4 ways to solve destination folder access denied on Windows 11 in turn. You can try them one by one. You can also learn a way to prevent data loss from file/folder access denied in Windows. Please read on to learn more detailed information.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Fix 1. Set Account to Administrator๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐Ÿ‘‰ Fix 2. Disable Your Third-Party Antivirus Software ๐Ÿ‘‰ Fix 3. Check Your System's Permissions ๐Ÿ‘‰ Fix 4. Change Ownership of Folder/File๐Ÿ”ฅ

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Fix 1. Set Account to Administrator

In most cases, the Windows permission denied errors, like "you have been denied permission to access this folder," can be fixed by making your user account the computer's administrator. You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run window. Type control userpasswords2 and click OK.

Step 2. On the User Accounts window, check the box beside Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. If there's none, skip this step.

Step 3. Then, select your account and click the Properties button below it.

Step 4. Next, go to the Group Membership tab. Choose Administrator from the menu, then click Apply and OK.

Restart your computer and see if it resolves the problem. Otherwise, move to the next step.

Fix 2. Disable Your Third-Party Antivirus Software

Antivirus software is great at keeping your system safe from threats and malicious behavior, however, it can also cause problems with destination access being denied. To check if this is also the case, temporarily disable your third-party antivirus program and try accessing or installing the program.

If the error does not appear, your antivirus software is most likely the cause of this and you should consider another program to protect your computer. Otherwise, use Microsoft Defender, the security program built into Windows 11.

Fix 3. Check Your System's Permissions

Step 1. Locate the file, folder, or directory you are trying to access. Then, right-click on it and choose Properties from the menu.

Step 2. Then, go to the Security tab and click the Edit button.

Step 3. Choose your username from the list and make sure to check the box beside Full control in the Allow column under the Permissions for User section. Then, click OK.

Note: If your username is not on the list, you have to add it manually and then change its permissions.

Fix 4. Change Ownership of Folder/File

The user account doesn't have the access to the destination folder is a common reason for folder access is deniedon Windows 10/11. For how to fix destination folder access denied in Windows 10 and 11, you can change the folder/file ownership.

Step 1. Navigate to the denied-access folder/file in File Explore, right-click it, and select Properties.

Step 2. Click on Advanced under the Security tab.

Step 3. Locate the owner and click on the Change button next to it.

Step 4. Enter Administrators or your user name, and click Check Names, then tap OK.

Step 5. Go back to the Advanced Security Settings window, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects checkbox under Owner, and click OK.

Best Way to Prevent Data Loss due to File Cannot be Accessed

To prevent data loss caused by such problems, it is recommended that you backup your system files and important data regularly. The free file backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard can help you back up your files easily. In case your files are accidentally damaged in any way, you can use File Backup for a quick restore.

  • Schedule backup: It supports schedule backup so that you can backup your files at fixed intervals (daily/weekly/monthly) and choose a way to perform the backup, both full backup and incremental backup are available.
  • Incremental backup: When you select Scheduled backup, the software performs scheduled backup tasks for you by default using the incremental backup method. This method backs up only what has changed or been added, so it improves backup efficiency and saves disk space.
  • Multiple devices: It supports multiple storage devices, such as local drive, external drive, USB, HDD, SSD, etc. If you have an AOMEI account, you are able to backup files to AOMEI Cloud.
  • Different OS: It supports various operating systems, such as Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11, XP, Vista, etc.

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

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

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.
  • Backup SchemeYou can choose different backup methods. To help you save disk space by deleting older backups, you can enable automatic backup cleanup feature.

Summary

This article introduces the common causes of Windows 11 destination folder access denied and 4 different ways to solve it. You can try the methods mentioned in this article to help you when you encounter this problem.

To avoid the risk of data loss caused by similar problems, it is recommended that you backup your files regularly. The free file backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard can help you achieve the goal, the software will automatically backup your files regularly according to different frequencies you set. It also supports backing up files to different devices as well as supporting multiple Windows operating systems.

Besides, it also provides features such as System Backup, Disk Backup and Partition Backup to protect your data in all aspects. You can download this software to discover more useful features.