How to fix Access denied error on Windows 10 administrator account

Windows 10 is a security-oriented operating system. It has an administrator account facility that controls entire OS permissions and controls. When you create an account for the first time on Windows 10, it will be set as the administrator account and it rules the complete system. If you want you can create a new user account and transfer the admin rights to them.

The administrator account holds everything and it controls the installations of new programs as well. Most people face difficulty while installing a new program on the computer and it is denied by the admin account.

Access denied error on Windows 10 administrator account

Access denied error on Windows 10 administrator account is the most common issue a user face. The admin account holds so many things such as system file permissions, access, and edit options.

If you are facing an access denied error on Windows 10, the above-discussed points are the reason for it. You can simply resolve the access denied error by following the below methods.

1. Run as administrator

If you are facing an access denied error while opening a third-party app on Windows 10, this method will solve the issue. By default, not all apps run with admin rights when you try to install them.

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Righ-click on the app you want to open.
3. Here, from the context menu, select “Run as administrator“.
4. Authenticate with the admin account username and password.

In this way, you can access the blocked apps by administrator account on Windows 10.

2. Change the Antivirus settings

Sometimes third-party antivirus will restrict certain folders. It is part of their security duty and it thinks modification of files may damage the system. It is one of the additional features of antivirus which is useful in some cases.

You can fix the access denied error caused by the antivirus by changing the settings in the Antivirus solution you are using. Each Antivirus company uses its own set of options to access the files. Check the detailed help page on the Antivirus website for more details.

3. Open File Explorer with admin rights

Sometimes, if you’re trying to open a file or folder, and you see the access denied error. You can fix this by opening File Explorer with admin rights.

1. Open Task Manager.
2. Here, go to the Processes tab and look for Windows Explorer.
3. Now, right-click it and select End task.
4. In Task Manager, go to File>Run new task.
5. Now, in the run box, enter explorer.exe and enable the Create this task with the administrative privileges option and tap enter.
6. Here, in the File Explorer window, navigate to the file or folder you want to access and open it.

4. Check file/folder permissions

In some cases, the access denied error may occur due to not having permission to access the file. This can be fixed by revoking the file permissions by the administrator.

1. Firstly, right-click the file/folder and select Properties from the context menu.
2. Go to the Security tab and select the administrator account from and check if it has permission in the Permissions section.
3. If the account does not have permission, click Edit and grant it all permissions.
4. Next, click Advanced on the same tab and click Change next to Owner.
5. Here, enter your username and click Check Names to validate, and click on OK.
6. Now, apply the change, and apply it to all subfolders and directories.
7. Check the folder you want to access.

5. Disable UAC prompt

One of the access denied messages is appeared due to the Windows 10 security layer. You can easily disable it by changing the UAC prompt settings.

1. Open the Control Panel and go to User Accounts.
2. Click Change user account control settings.
3. Move the slider to the bottom setting and click OK.

6. Update Windows 10

Most OS errors and bugs can be fixed by a regular update provided by the company. Also, keeping your system always up to date has many advantages. Here are the steps to update Windows 10 with the latest patches.

1. Open the Windows Settings by clicking the Win+I keyboard shortcut.
2. Go to Update & Security and select the Windows update tab.
3. Here check for updates and install any pending updates and restart the system.

Conclusion

A genuine Windows 10 OS will always protect your system from unauthorized access by restricting file/folder access. Changing the system settings is easy, but you make sure to access a protected folder. Sometimes protective folders are sensitive and easy to get damage.