Best Solution to Fix Access is Denied Error in Windows 10, 8, 7

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Written By Ashwani Tiwari
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On November 30th, 2018
Reading Time 4 Minutes Reading

“Recently, when I connected my external hard drive to the laptop, it stopped working and a message appeared ‘Location not available: G:\ is not accessible. Access is denied”. I am not able to figure out why this message coming. Is there any way to fix access denied error in Windows 10 issue?”

Are you also getting Access Denied error in Window system? Then you are not alone. There are many people who face this error. It is one of the most common problems related to permission, file system etc. Basically, this error message prevents the user from accessing his/her important files. If the user wants to access the files immediately then the situation becomes complicated. Thus, to access the data the user has to fix Access is Denied Error. Now, the question arises how one can resolve Access is Denied error? The user can easily fix ‘Access is Denied’ issues by implementing a different method explained below.

how to fix error 5 access denied windows 10

Reasons Behind Access is Denied Error

There can be multiple reasons due to which the user is not able to access the hard drive. Some of the possible reasons are explained below:

  1. Ownership of the folder has been changes
  2. The user is not having appropriate permissions
  3. File is encrypted and become inaccessible
  4. Installed a new version of Windows

Multiple Solutions to Resolve Access is Denied Error in Windows

For every user, the hard drive is very important as it stores all the data such as documents, pictures, audio etc. If any problem arises in hard drive then there is always a chance of data loss. Now, in this section, we are going to introduce different workarounds to resolve Access is Denied Error.

Note: – Recently attached storage device not being recognized then go to the solution for second hard drive not showing up windows 10.

Solution 1: Check for the Ownership of the File or Folder in Windows

  • First, you have to select the file/folder for which you want to take ownership
  • Now, right-click on it and select Properties
  • Next, you need to select the Security tab > Advanced button. Click on Change

Note: If you are asked to provide confirmation or administrator password, then you have to provide the confirmation or type the password.

  • Now, you have to type the name of the person whom you want to assign the ownership and then click on Check Names
  • After that, click on OK. To assign the selected person ownership of folders and file stored in this folder, select check box of Replace owner on sub-containers and objects
  • Finally, click on OK button

Solution 2: Change Permission to Fix Access Denied Error in Windows 10, 8

  1. First of all, select the file or folder and then right-click on it to select Properties
  2. Now, click on the Security tab. After that, you need to click on your name under the Group or user names
  3. Here, you will be able to see the permissions you have
  4. Next, you need to select all boxes under Allow and then click OK > Apply
  5. Now, you will be able to get complete control of file or folder such as Read and execute, Modify, List folder contents etc.

Solution 3: Remove File / Folder Encryption to Fix Access Denied Error

  1. Select the file or folder and right-click on it and choose Properties
  2. In the General tab, you need to click on the Advanced button
  3. Now, if the Encrypt content to secure data is selected then it means that the file is encrypted. After that, you will have to get the certificate to open it

If File Lost then Try This Solution and Secure All File and Folder

However, if the user faces data loss situation then he / she can easily recover lost / permanently deleted data from any hard drive with the help of an automated solution. The user can opt for Hard Drive Recovery Software to recover corrupt, lost or permanently deleted data from external as well as internal storage device. With this utility, one can easily recover photos, video, music, documents, and other multimedia files. Moreover, the tool also supports formatted/corrupted FAT, exFAT and NTFS file system. Additionally, there are numerous benefits associated with the tool which makes easy for the users to recover lost files.

Wrapping Up

Access is Denied Error is one of the most common errors faced by users while working with the hard drive on Windows 10, 8, 7. If the user is not able to resolve the error as soon as possible then it can also lead to data loss issues. Thus, in the above-mentioned section, we have explained multiple solutions for how to fix access is denied error in windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, Vista.

  author

By Ashwani Tiwari

Being a Chief Technical Analyst, I am aware of the technicalities faced by the user while working with multiple technologies. So, through my blogs and articles, I love to help all the users who face various challenges while dealing with technology.