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Why Google Drive Denied User Access

  Tej Pratap Shukla
Written By Tej Pratap Shukla
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Modified On December 25th, 2025
Reading Time 6 Min Read

Urgently, you want to open or send Google Drive files. However, you are facing the “Access Denied in Google Drive” error. What is the reason for the problem, and how are we going to resolve it? I will explain everything in this article, so read to the end.

Google Drive is Google’s cloud storage, which you can use to store your files and access them from any device. Users not only save their files but also offer real-time collaboration. The free version of Drive gives you 15 GB storage space, and here you can directly link your Google apps like Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

For storing and sharing data, Google Drive is great, and it is easy to access Google Drive without Gmail account. But some users may have issues accessing the Google Drive. Why is that?

Factors that Affect Google Drive Access Denied Issue

  • When accessing the Google Drive, your internet connection is poor. Which is why you cannot open your Drive files.
  • Your device contains multiple Google accounts, which creates an error in accessing the Drive.
  • The Google Drive contains corrupted files and sectors, which make it difficult to open the files.
  • When Google Drive is part of Google Workspace, the administrator intentionally or unintentionally restricts access.
  • A browser corrupted cache and cookies may prevent you from accessing the Drive.
  • Firewalls, antivirus software, or VPNs can sometimes block the Google Drive for suspicious activity.
  • The storage quota is full, which triggers access denied errors when you save the existing files.
  • The owner of the Drive files removed you for access or deleted files. That’s why you are not able to view the programs.

From these reasons, you understand why access is denied in Google Drive. Now, to fix it, I have several solutions that can fix the problem.

Quick Fixes for Access Denied in Google Drive

Below are the general troubleshooting methods that are used to resolve most problems. They are simple but effective.

  1. Access Google Drive in Incognito mode. The purpose of this is to avoid issues of corrupted cache and conflicting extensions that cause this problem.
  2. Clearing the browser cookies and cached images fixes the problem. For this, go to the Delete Browsing data, choose Cached images and Cookies. Then, delete the data.
  3. Extensions or add-ons like ad blockers or VPN tools may interfere with the Drive loading scripts. So, temporarily disable the addons for smooth working.
  4. If the owner of the Drive files restricts access. Request that the admin permit you.
  5. Temporarily disable VPN or Proxy if they cause the problem of access denied in Google Drive.
  6. Restart your browser or the computer to clear any temporary glitches.

Sometimes when sharing your drive or uploading a problem, this same issue access denied in Google Drive. To fix them, I also provide the solutions for them.

Access Denied in Google Shared Drives

  1. First, verify that your Google Drive is active or not. Make sure that you logged into the specific account where the folder was shared. If there are multiple accounts added. Sign out all of them and use only the primary one.
  2. If the permission is not given. Request it by going to the You ned permission page. Then, hit the Request access option. You can also ask the owner to send the link again.
  3. The Shared folder is not seen in My Drive. Go to the tab Shared with me to locate your folder.
  4. Many organizations disable the sharing for users who are outside their domain. So, that’s why external users are not able to access the sharing Drives.
  5. Enable the Allow people outside [your organization] to access files or allow people who aren’t members to be added options if they are disabled.
  6. Google give new update – Limited access- features that allow users to hide certain items from people who only have access to the parent folder.

Denied Access When Downloading or Uploading Drive Files

  1. When you can’t upload or open the file in your existing browser. You can open it in Google Drive in the incognito window. This resolves the conflict from multiple logged-in accounts or corrupted cookies.
  2. If multiple accounts are logged-into this will create mismatched permissions. For this, sign out of all the accounts and only use the account that has access.
  3. Google Drive has a limit of download. If you downloaded too many. Right-click the file and select Make a copy option.
  4. Make sure that there is adequate storage space in your Google Drive or shared drive. If the space is almost full, reduce the storage.
  5. The file should not have names that contain specific characters like :, ?, “, etc., because this can cause system-level access denials.
  6. Admin often restricted uploads to specific domains or file types. So, if you can’t do this, contact the admin.
  7. If you are using the Google Drive for Desktop app. Make sure to update the application to the latest version.

Here are the solutions for when the Google Drive denied the acess. But this is a temporary solution. To prevent any further complications, you must follow preventive measures.

Prevent Google Drive Access Denied Error

  • Having multiple Google profiles in one browser can confuse you. So, keep your work and personal accounts in separate browsers.
  • To verify your identity across various sub-domains. Enable third-party cookies. If not, then you will get a 403 error.
  • Keep the Google Drive site on your browser’s allow list for cookies and JavaScript.
  • Settings like Anyone with the Link can create security problems. Instead of this, share the files by entering the email addresses of those you want to share with.
  • Make sure the collaborators provide the appropriate role before you share with others.
  • Sometimes, because of full storage, the access denied issue will occur. So, regularly check your Google storage and clear the unnecessary data.

With these, you can easily prevent access denied in Google Drive. But if the problem persists, then you can use the alternative solution, which I have mentioned below.

Expert Tip for Google Drive Access Denied Issue

When you urgently need Google Drive files for sharing or migration. Then, you can use a professional approach that can move your data to other functional Google Drive accounts. SysTools Google Drive Migration Tool a best way to move your Drive files into another account without any issue.

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Conclusion

When you are having a problem with access denied in Google Drive. To help you, I have provided several solutions that can help you resolve the problem without any issues. Here, I explained the solutions for the general and the specific problem. Other than that, I also explore the steps to prevent this same issue.