How to Fix ‘Error 5: Access is denied’ in Windows 10

1. Run the Application as Administrator

If the error is showing up while trying to install a software on your Windows 10 PC, it can indicate that the program cannot perform the action. In this case, you can simply right-click the .exe file and choose the “Run as administrator” option from the context menu. If the problem is the lack of permissions of the program to write into your computer, the problem will be solved instantly and you can continue installing the software without any problems.

2. Try Turning off your Antivirus Program

If you are trying to install a program known for threats or contains false-positive code, antivirus software might block you from installing it on your computer. So you can try turning off your antivirus program for a few minutes and try reinstalling the program again. Make sure that you trust the software before turning off the antivirus program. It is not recommended to follow this method for installing any pirated software or applying a crack. If the program actually contains any malicious code, you will end up in big trouble.

3. Make sure that you have Administrative Privileges

To install certain applications that have to write files into restricted directories, you need administrative permissions. If you are using Windows as a guest user or don’t have administrative permissions for some reason, Windows might output the access denied error. To give your user account administrative privileges, follow these steps.

1. Press Win + R keys to open the Run prompt.
2. Type netplwiz and press Enter. It will open the user account settings.
3. Choose your current profile from the user accounts.
4. Click on Properties.
5. Now, navigate to the Group Membership tab.
6. Select the Administrator option as the permission level.
7. Click Apply.

That’s it, you have successfully changed the user account permissions to have administrative access.

4. Change Folder Permissions

If you are facing the error only when trying to install the software or perform operations on a certain folder, you can try changing the permission of that specific folder. To do that for these steps:

1. Right-click on the folder.
2. Click on Properties from the menu.
3. Navigate to the Security tab.
4. Make sure that the SYSTEM and Administrator have enough privileges. If not edit them appropriately give them the necessary permissions.
5. You can also try checking the box “Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object” after clicking on the Advanced button in the security tab and saving the changes.

It is not recommended to perform this operation on C: drive as a whole. But only on a certain folder that has not many sub-directories in it.