"Access Denied" When You Delete Folders from a Mounted Drive (2024)

Symptoms

When you try to delete folders that are stored on a mounted drive and to send them to the Recycle Bin, you may receive the following error message:

Cannot delete Foldername: Access is denied. The source file may be in use.

Cause

This behavior occurs because the Recycle Bin does not understand mounted volumes. For example, assume that the following drive layout is in use:

C: -- 1-gigabyte (GB) drive using the NTFS file system
C:\Host-dir -- The mount point for a separate 9-GB drive
When you try to delete a folder with the path C:\Host-dir\Mydir, Windows Explorer interprets the folder as being on drive C and tries unsuccessfully to place it in the Recycle Bin on drive C.

Workaround

To work around this issue, use either of the following methods:

  • When you delete the files or folders by using Windows Explorer, use the SHIFT+DELETE key combination. This bypasses the Recycle Bin.

  • Open a command prompt window and then use the rd /s /q command to delete the files or folders.

Note Both of these methods permanently delete the data. You cannot recover the data unless you have a current backup.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

"Access Denied" When You Delete Folders from a Mounted Drive (2024)

FAQs

"Access Denied" When You Delete Folders from a Mounted Drive? ›

Part 1: Causes of "Access Denied" When You Delete Folders

When deleting a folder, access is denied.? ›

[Fixed] Folder Access Denied: You Need Permission to Delete File in Windows 10
  1. Way 1. Take ownership of the file/folder.
  2. Way 2. Change user account control settings.
  3. Way 3. Delete files in safe mode.
  4. Way 4. Enable the built-in Admin account.
  5. Way 5. Use a third-party tool to delete files.

How do I fix folder access denied permission? ›

Right-click the file or folder, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab. Under Group or user names, click your name to see the permissions you have. Click Edit, click your name, select the check boxes for the permissions that you must have, and then click OK.

How to fix access denied you don't have permission to access? ›

You can try:
  1. Clearing your browser cookies and history.
  2. Turning off VPN and VPN extensions.
  3. Disabling your proxy.
  4. Switching to a premium VPN service.
  5. Resetting your browser data.

How to fix you need administrator permission to delete a folder file? ›

[FIX] You Need Administrator Permission to Delete a Folder/File
  1. Fix 1: Take Ownership of the File or the Folder.
  2. Fix 2: Disable User Account Control.
  3. Fix 3: Activate the Built-In Administrator Account.
  4. Fix 4: Use SFC.
  5. Fix 5: Use Safe Mode.
Dec 6, 2023

How do I remove folder access permissions? ›

Remove folder permissions
  1. From Files, right-click the folder.
  2. Select Permissions , then click This Folder.
  3. Hover over their name and click the X.
  4. Click Apply Changes.
Jun 16, 2023

How to fix access is denied? ›

Step 1 Select the file or folder and right-click it to select Properties. Then click Security tab. Step 2 Click your name under Group or user names, and you can see permissions you have. Step 3 Select all boxes under Allow and click OK and Apply.

How to bypass you have been denied permission to access this folder? ›

Fixes for "You Don't Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder"
  1. Right-click on the folder to navigate to "Properties".
  2. Go to the "group or username" section on the "Security" tab.
  3. Click on "Advanced", and then "Change".
  4. Type your account name. ...
  5. Check "Replace owner on sub containers and objects" > "OK".
May 20, 2024

Why am I suddenly getting access denied? ›

As the name suggests, the Access Denied error on a webpage indicates that the web server has denied your request to access the web page, either because you do not have the proper credentials, or because the web server has some technical issues.

How to bypass access denied? ›

The quickest and easiest way to solve an access denied error is by clearing your browser data. Furthermore, you might want to disable any VPN extensions or proxies, or resetting the browser altogether.

How do I give myself permission to delete a folder? ›

Open the Command Prompt (CMD) to run as an administrator. Transfer the ownership of the folder to yourself using the command takeown/f<path_to_windows_folder>/r/d y. Use the command icacls<path_to_windows_folder>/grant administrators: F/t to give the administrator group full control permissions.

How do I reset Windows folder permissions? ›

In order to reset permissions, first you must have the appropriate rights to make changes to the permissions. To do this you have to run this command first: takeown /R /F *. Afterwards, you can run the command you've been trying unsuccessfully.

How do I remove administrator permission? ›

How to Turn Off Administrator Permission Windows 10?
  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Search for “User Accounts” and select it from the list.
  3. Select “Change account type” from the menu on the left.
  4. Choose the user account you want to change.
  5. Change the account type to Standard User.
  6. Click the “Change Account Type” button.

How do I give myself permission to delete a file? ›

Open the Command Prompt (CMD) to run as an administrator. Transfer the ownership of the folder to yourself using the command takeown/f<path_to_windows_folder>/r/d y. Use the command icacls<path_to_windows_folder>/grant administrators: F/t to give the administrator group full control permissions.

How do I unlock a folder that is access denied? ›

Change Permission
  1. Find a folder and right-click on it.
  2. Go to “Properties,” then navigate to the “Security” tab.
  3. Tap “Edit” then “Select Users.”
  4. Check the “Full Control” checkbox.
  5. Click “o*k” to gain access to all your files and folders.
Feb 25, 2022

How do I delete a folder that cannot be deleted? ›

Solution 1. Close the Folder or File and Try Again
  1. Press "Ctrl + Alt + Delete" simultaneously and choose "Task Manager" to open it.
  2. Find the application where your data is in use. Select it and click "End task".
  3. Try to delete the undeletable information once again.

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