Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Tech News Today
Home»Windows»6 Ways to Fix Drive Is Not Accessible “Access denied” in Windows 11

6 Ways to Fix Drive Is Not Accessible “Access denied” in Windows 11

GrishmBy GrishmNovember 28, 2022
Drive-Is-Not-Accessible-Access-denied

“Access denied” error occurs when users try to access the contents of a drive or volume in the device. This essentially stops users from reading, writing, or making modifications to the data inside the affected disk.

The error occurs when there is any logical error on the drive or due to restrictions set by the administrator of the system. Another cause for this error to appear is due to corrupt files and folders stored in the drive or in the case of a newly purchased storage device, an uninitialized disk.

Table of Contents

  • Causes for Drive is Not Accessible “Access Denied” Error
  • Methods to Fix Drive is Not Accessible “Access Denied”
    • Modify Drive Permission
    • Disk Scan
    • Disable BitLocker Encryption 
    • Initialize the Disk
    • Format Drive

Causes for Drive is Not Accessible “Access Denied” Error

Here listed are some common causes for the “Access Denied” error to appear. However, the error can also occur due to some underlying system problems as well.

  • Modified disk permissions
  • Changed ownerships
  • Logical errors
  • Uninitialized drive
  • Out-of-date drivers
  • Password/Encryption protected drive
  • Corrupt files and/or folders in drive

Methods to Fix Drive is Not Accessible “Access Denied”

To fix this error, the most effective method would be to perform a disk scan for logical errors and change the disk properties for changing permission settings. 

For other general fixes and to perform the above-mentioned solutions, the steps are described in detail below 

Modify Drive Permission

Note: To perform this fix, users will need to have logged-in from an administrator account.

The first fix for this problem is to change the permission settings and take ownership of the drive. Sometimes this error occurs when an administrator changes the drive permission, denying access to the user. To fix this, you will need to perform the following fix

  1. Press the Windows key + E to open the File Explorer
  2. Right-click on the affected drive and click on Properties
    diks properties
  3. On the Disk properties window, click on the Security tab and click on Advanced
    disk security
  4. On the new window, click on Change located above the Permissions tab
    advanced security settings
  5. On the new window Click on Advanced > Find Now.
    Find now
  6. From the presented list, Select Administrators and click OK.
    Select Administrators
  7. On the next window, checkmark the Replace owner on sub containers and objects. Click on OK to proceed
    Replace subcontainers
  8. Select Yes on the Windows Security dialogue box
    Windows security
  9. Click on Advanced again and click on Change Permissions
    change permission
  10. On the new window, click on Add 
    add user
  11. On the Permission Entry window, click on Select a principal
    select prinicipal
  12. Again, as in steps 5 and 6, Select Authenticated Users from the list
    Authenticated Users
  13. On the basic permissions check mark the Full control button and click on OK
    Basic permissions

Check to see if the drive is now accessible

If the drive is still not accessible, add another principal labeled Everyone and then allow full control in permission to solve the issue.

Disk Scan

Another solution for this problem is to perform a disk scan. Sometimes this error can occur due to logical errors in the disk. By performing a scan, users can repair the disk error and gain access to the drive. To perform a scan

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open Run and type cmd in the dialogue box
    run cmd
  2. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to open command prompt with elevated access
  3. On the console type chkdsk <disk name>: /f /r to perform a scan
    chkdsk scan
  4. Let the process complete and then try accessing the drive again

Disable BitLocker Encryption 

Note: This fix does not apply for users running Windows Home edition

Another reason that may be causing the error to appear is due to BitLocker encryption that is present in the drive. If the protection is enabled or if the BitLocker encounters some errors, the user may not gain access to the drive.

To solve this, users will need to disable the BitLocker encryption. To do this

  1. Open Run and type control to open the Control panel
    control run
  2. Click on System and security
    system security panel
  3. Scroll down and click on BitLocker Drive Encryption
  4. Select the drive you wish to disable the BitLocker
    disable bitlocker
  5. Here, click on Turn off BitLocker, and again on another window, select Turn off BitLocker
  6. Try accessing the drive again and see if the solution works

Initialize the Disk

If you recently purchased and installed a new disk in the system, you may encounter this error while trying to access the disk. Windows first needs to initialize, allocate and then partition the disk in order to carry out read and write activities.

Only then the drive becomes accessible. To initialize the disk

  1. Open Run and type diskmgmt.msc to open the Disk management window
    diskmgmt
  2. Right-click on the volume labeled Unallocated and select Online, right-click again and select Initialize Disk
    initialize disk
  3. In the new window, choose a partition style (GPT is recommended)
    gpt-initialization
  4. After initializing, right-click on the unallocated disk and select New Simple Volume
    new-vol
  5. On the Volume Wizard, click on Next
    diskpart-wizard
  6. Assign the amount of space you want to allocate and click on Next
  7. If you choose to allocate only a portion, the remaining space on the drive will be labeled as unallocated
  8. Assign a letter to the drive and then click on Next
    drive-letter
  9. Choose either to format the volume or not and click on Next
    format-partition
  10. Click on Finish to complete the setup
    fininsh-partition

Format Drive

The final solution would be to format the drive to get access. Formatting resets the drive configurations and removes all files and folders from it. Therefore we suggest users to backup any important data before attempting this fix.

Note: Installing Linux on a bootable drive and then accessing the contents of the drive from Linux can help users perform a workaround fix. We suggest using this workaround to perform backups only.

 To format the drive in Windows

  1. Open the File manager
  2. Right-click on the drive and select Format
    format drive
  3. If any drive protection or encryption is enabled, disable it
  4. On the format window, checkmark the Quick Format box and select Start
    format disk
  5. On the caution window, click on OK to proceed
  6. Let the process finish and check if the drive is accessible now

Your drive should be accessible after performing the above fixes.

fix
Grishm

Related Posts

how to make windows 11 look like windows 10

How to Make Windows 11 Look Like Windows 10

January 25, 2023
how to find hidden folder in laptop

How to Find Hidden Folder in Laptop

January 24, 2023
mouse not showing in chrome

Mouse Not Showing in Chrome? Here’s How to Fix It

January 25, 2023
how-to-move-taskbar-windows-11

How to Move Taskbar on Windows 11

January 24, 2023
stickers on windows

How to Add Stickers on Windows 11 Desktop

January 23, 2023
how to add weather to taskbar windows 11

How to Add Weather to Taskbar Windows 11

January 22, 2023
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Posts
how long does a cmos battery last

How Long Does a CMOS Battery Last

January 25, 2023
thunderbolt vs usb c

Thunderbolt Vs USB C: What’s the Difference

January 25, 2023
how to find hidden folder in laptop

How to Find Hidden Folder in Laptop

January 24, 2023
You may also like
4k-tv-as-monitor

How to Use a 4K TV as a Monitor? (Step-by-Step Guide)

January 26, 2023
how-to-install-cinema-on-firestick

How to Install Cinema on Firestick (Step-By-Step Guide)

January 26, 2023
how to adblock on chrome

How to Block Ads on Google Chrome

January 26, 2023
Recommended
Cookie Clicker Garden Guide

Cookie Clicker Garden Guide to Unlocking Every Seed

September 26, 2021
monitor no signal

Computer Turns On But Monitor Says No Signal (9 Ways To Fix)

November 10, 2022
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
© 2023 TechNewsToday.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.