6 Ways to Overcome Destination Folder Access Denied Windows 10

 Do you receive the “destination folder access denied” message when trying to access certain folders or files? Here are a few ways to fix this problem.

You may find it strange when Windows tells you that you don't have permission to access something on your own computer. Usually, this is the result of configuration of permissions in the NTFS file system that Windows uses by default.

If you receive an access is denied message on Windows 10 when you try to access a file or folder, you don't need to worry. Because this time we will discuss how to overcome destination folder access denied in Windows 10.

1. Make sure the User Has Administrator Rights

In most of the cases, you need to be an administrator on your PC to make changes to file/folder ownership. You may be able to change permissions on your own directory, but won't have much of your access or control anywhere else.

Because to maintain the confidentiality of everyone's files on the computer. Only administrators can access files belonging to other users. Additionally, you must grant admin permission to make changes to system files, such as those in the Program Files and Windows folders.

Make sure the user has administrator rights

If you want to upgrade your standard account to an admin account, other admins will need to visit Settings > Accounts > Family & other users. Select your account under Your family or Other users and click Change account type. Change from Standard User to Administrator and you will have full access rights on your Windows 10 operating system.

2. Change Ownership File Settings

The most common fix you can try when you see a “destination folder access denied” message is to take ownership of the folder via File Explorer.

Folder Properties

Here's how to do it. First, right-click the folder or file in question and select Properties. In the resulting window, switch to the Security tab. Next, click the Advanced button for more options.

Advanced Security Settings

At the top of the next window, you will see a field labeled Owner. This will likely give the message Unable to display current owner if you run into problems. Click the blue Change link next to this to fix it, note that you must be an administrator to do this.

You will now see a dialog box titled Select User or Group. In it, enter the account name of the new folder owner. This could be an account username, or a group of users on your PC.

Groups include standard units such as Administrators (if you want all computer admins to have it), or Users (for everyone to have it). In home use, it is usually the most reasonable option to assign ownership to one person.

Change Ownership File Settings

My here assumes that you want to take ownership of the folder with your own account, so type your username here. If you use a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows 10, your username is the first five letters of your email address. Hit Check Names when you're done to make sure it's correct. If yes, it will automatically change to [PC Name]\[User Name]. Click OK.

Note: Be careful when changing the ownership file settings

When dealing with “access denied” errors, you should apply the above steps with caution. Avoid taking ownership of folders in system directories such as Windows, Program Files, Program Data, or similar.

Doing so will weaken your system's security, as normal accounts are not meant to be the owner of this directory. They contain important Windows folders that you shouldn't touch. You can still get access to most of these folders by navigating to them in File Explorer. You have to confirm admin permission, then you can view it without being an owner.

3. Review Folder Permissions

If taking ownership of a folder doesn't work, or you're an administrator trying to give permissions to someone else, you should review what users have permissions on the folder in question.

Review Folder Permissions

Drag the same Security tab in the Properties folder as before. At the top, you will see a list of users and groups on your PC. Select an entry here, and the bottom panel will show what permissions they have for this folder. Press the Edit button to change the permissions for each user to your liking.

As you'd expect, Full control gives you complete control over the folder and everything inside. Read is the most restrictive option, as it only lets you see what's in the folder. See Microsoft's page on file and folder permissions for more details.

4. Double Check Antivirus Settings

Double Check Antivirus Settings

Sometimes, your antivirus can get too excited and end up messing up your ability to access files. If you have confirmed that everything is correct with your file permissions above, you may consider testing this next.

Look around your antivirus program settings and see if there is a file protector or similar setting. Try disabling this and then trying to access the file again. If it doesn't work, temporarily disable your antivirus completely and see if that helps.

5. Check File Encryption

Another reason you are receiving the “destination folder access denied” message is because the contents of the folder are encrypted. As you all know, encryption protects files by only allowing someone who has the key to view them.

Check File Encryption

You can encrypt folder contents in Windows, though this feature is only available in the Professional version. To do so, right-click the folder and select Properties. In the window that appears, click the Advanced button on the General tab. Here, tick the Encrypt contents to secure data box. With this, everything inside the folder will be locked.

This type of encryption is transparent, meaning that the owner never notices the encryption. As long as they are logged in to the system, they can access these files. But if you don't have the certificate that was used to encrypt the folder, Windows will deny you access. Whoever encrypted the file must open it. This isn't the only way to encrypt files in Windows 10, but it can cause the error message you see.

6. Disable User Account Control

In fact, the above solutions are the most important solutions to fix the “destination folder access denied” problem in Windows 10. You will see a lot of suggestions floating around the web for this problem, but not all of them are good. Some of them only give you a workaround to get administrator permissions, which we have covered.

Disable User Account Control

One other solution that is commonly used to deal with the "destination folder access denied" problem is to disable User Account Control (UAC). To do this, type UAC in the Start menu search bar and select Change User Account Control settings. Drag the slider down and press OK.

Once you have done that, try to follow the 2nd solution above again to take ownership. Once done, make sure to reset the UAC settings to where they were.

Conclusion

Now you know how to overcome destination folder access denied in Windows 10. Usually this problem can be solved by changing simple permissions. Make sure you have administrator rights, then you can try to take ownership and adjust permissions as needed. Avoid changing the ownership of protected system folders, which can compromise your system security.