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‘You Don’t Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder’ issue is a common error that can happen when you open a certain folder on your Windows PC or an external storage device. This can happen even if your account has administrative rights. There are many things that can cause this error, such as a conflict between NTFS and share permissions or the removal of a user or group from a folder’s access list. You might get the “you don’t currently have permission to access this folder” error if you use the Linux subsystem in Windows, cygwin, or any of the other ways to connect Unix and Windows.
If you get the message “You don’t have permission to access this folder” and can’t open files or folders because of permission problems, this post will show you how to fix File and Folder permission problems in Windows 11/10/8/7. One of the biggest problems we have with Windows is that it doesn’t let us do what we want! Read on to find out how to fix this annoying mistake.
What Does the ‘You don’t currently have permission to access this folder’ Error Mean?
If you’ve dealt with the Error Code 0x80007005 before, you might recognize the problem. Both of these errors are caused by changes that happen when Windows 10 is upgraded. You might have had an old user in Windows. Keep in mind that Windows 11/10 no longer has this feature. Because of this, the folders automatically lock themselves. This is the way your system lets you know that you need to change who owns the folders.
What are the causes of “You Don’t Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder” error?
- Insufficient Permissions: The user account trying to access the folder or file usually doesn’t have enough permissions. Windows uses a permission system to control who can access files and folders, and if the user account doesn’t have the right permissions, the error will happen.
- Ownership Problems: Sometimes, the folder or file might be set to belong to a different user or account, and the user who is trying to access it might not have the right to do so.
- File/Folder Security Settings: If the folder or file’s security settings are wrong, it can cause permission problems. For example, the user account trying to access the resource might have explicit deny permissions set.
- Corrupted User Profile: Permission problems can also be caused by a user profile that is not in good shape. If the user profile is broken, it might not have the right permissions to access certain files or folders.
- Inherited Permissions: The permissions of a folder may be set to inherit permissions from a parent folder. If the permissions of the parent folder are restrictive, access to the current folder may be denied.
Fix “You Don’t Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder” error
Activate Command Prompt

- Right-click on the Windows key and choose Command Prompt (Admin).
- In the dialog box, type the TAKEOWN /F /R /D Y command and press Enter. IMPORTANT: Change the reference to DIRECTORY to the Windows mother folder.
- Close the Command Prompt and restart your computer.
Deselecting the ‘Read Only’ Option
- Start File Explorer, and then right-click the folder in question.
- Choose Properties from the list of choices.
- Once the Properties window is up, deselect the option that says “Read Only.”
- To save the changes, click OK and Apply.
Change the ownership of affected data
- Right-click on the folder you want to open and choose Properties from the menu.
- Open the Security tab and look for the section with the group or user name.
- If you don’t own that folder, you can click the Advanced button.
- At the top of the Advanced Security Settings window, click the Owner section and then click Change.
- When the window that says User or Group pops up, choose Advanced.
- Enter the name of your User Account and click Check Names, or click the Find Now button to do the same thing. When the list of accounts is shown, choose the one you want and click OK.
- Check Replace owner on subcontainers and objects, then click OK to save the changes.
Disable User Account Control
- Click “Start” in Windows and then “Control Panel.”
- If you are not already in the Large icons view, select Large icons from the View by menu on the right side of the Control Panel.
- This will show the features of the Control Panel as icons. Find User Accounts and click on it.
- The panel for User Accounts shows up.
- Click the option that says Change User Accounts Control Settings. The dialog box for User Accounts Control Settings shows up.
- There is a slider in the Windows UAC settings that lets you change between different levels of alerts.
- Change to Don’t tell.
Providing Permission to Everyone
If none of those worked, you might still be wondering, “How do I get permission to access a folder?” You can open the folder’s Properties window and give everyone permission to use it. Here’s how to do it:
- Open File Explorer and right-click on the folder that needs to be changed.
- Choose Properties from the list of choices.
- Once the Properties window is open, go to the Security tab and click the Edit button.
- Click “Add” and type “everyone” (without the quotes).
- Click Names to Check, and then click OK.
- Go to the section that says “Allow,” then choose “Everyone.”
- Select Full Control now.
- Click Apply, then click OK.
Questions and Answers
On the “Security” tab of the folder, “Group or user names” may no longer show the name of a user or group. The user or group may have been told directly that they couldn’t get into the folder. The NTFS permissions and the share permissions may not work well together.
The user or group’s name was taken off the list of allowed “Group or user names” on the folder’s Security tab. By accident, an explicit “Deny” function has been put on the user or group. There is a problem between the permissions for the New Technology File System (NTFS) and the permissions for shares.
Right-click on the file or folder, and then click Properties. Click on the tab for Security. Click on your name under Group or user names to see what permissions you have. Click “Edit,” then “Your Name,” then check the boxes next to the permissions you need, and click “OK.”
In Windows 10, you can choose which apps can use a certain feature by going to the Privacy page. Click Start, then Settings, and then Privacy. Choose the app (like Calendar) and turn on or off the permissions for that app. The apps that have permission to use all system resources won’t be listed on the Privacy page.