How to Fix the “You Don’t Have Permission to Save in This Location” Error?

The “You don’t have permission to save in this location” error message generally appears when you try to save files in the important system directories. It means you need administrator privileges to complete the current action.

However, this error message also shows up when some factors restrict your admin privilege despite having it.

In this article, we have compiled a list of causes and fixes to troubleshoot this error.

Probable Causes For “You Don’t Have Permission to Save in This Location.”

How to Fix the “You don’t have permission to save in this location” error message?

There are several ways of fixing this particular error message. However, one way or another, you have to give unrestricted admin access to fix this error. While different things can hinder admin access and show this error message, here are some common fixes for this issue.

Allow Full Control to Administrators on Specific Folders

Some actions may be restricted in a specific folder even if you use an administrator account. It could be because the software changed the settings, or you could have accidentally done it yourself.

However, the good thing about administrator accounts is you can give the permission back to yourself.

Here’s how to allow Full Control to administrators on any folder:

1. Right-click the specific folder you want to give access to.
2. Click on properties.
3. In the properties window, click on the Security tab.
   
4. Select Edit and select Administrator or the specific account you want to give access to.
   
5. Check Allow on Full Control and hit apply. (If Allow on Full Control is already checked, check deny and switch to allow again.)
6. Press OK.

Run as an Administrator

If the error message appears every time you try to save a file through an application, you can run the application as an administrator.

While the error message displays the same thing, it actually means the application does not have permission to save on this location. This issue is common with photo and video editing, writing, and other software where you have to save your progress.

However, manually starting the application as an administrator can get tedious. So, here’s how to always run the application as an administrator.

1. Right-click your application or its shortcut and select properties.
2. Click on Advanced in the bottom right.
   
3. In the new window, select Run as Administrator
   
4. Select OK and press OK again in the properties window.

Antivirus software is a big reason for this particular error showing up. Many users have complained that their antivirus software has automatically restricted administrator access to many applications and folders.

Check and Disable Your Antivirus Software

Antivirus can lock folders and files to stop viruses and malware from accessing them. However, they can also lock you out in the process. Some antivirus software also locks applications and software from having certain permissions.

Usually, many third-party antivirus software automatically can block the applications from making changes to their folders. Check with your antivirus to see if it interferes with your application’s permissions.

Grant Administrator Access to the User account

This issue is common if you use a local account or any other account that doesn’t have administrator access. It also has a relatively simple fix; you can simply give the Administrator access to the user account.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up the Run box.
2. Type netplwiz and hit Enter.
3. Select the account facing the issue in the new window and click on Properties.
   
4. Click on the Group Membership tab and select Administrator.
   
5. Click OK.

Change the Owner of the Specific Folder

If the issue persists, you can try changing the owner of the specific folder to fix this issue. You can also set the owner as the Administrator or any user accounts.

Follow the steps below to change the owner of a specific folder:

1. Right-click the specific folder you want to give permission to.
2. Click on properties.
3. In the properties window, go to the Security tab.
4. Select Advanced on the bottom right.
   
5. In the new window, besides the owner heading, select change.
   
6. Enter the user account you want to set the owner as and click OK. (You can also click Advanced>Find Now to find your user account.)
   
7. Select Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object box and click apply.
   
8. In the dialog box, click Yes and then OK.

Disable User Account Control

Disabling User Account Control can also help you fix this issue. Every software running on your pc which requires administrator access has to ask through the UAC. However, disabling the UAC gets rid of this, and every running software has access to administrator access.

While this method can help solve the issue, it leaves your pc vulnerable to malware and viruses. If none of the above methods work, then only try this fix.

Here’s how to disable User Account Control:

1. Search the Control Panel in the search bar and open it.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Under Security and Maintenance, click on Change User Account Control settings.
4. In the new window, drag the slider down to Never notify.
   
5. Tap on OK.

Save the File in a Different Folder

If the error message shows up only in one folder, you can try saving the file in an alternate folder. You could also create a new folder, copy all the previous files to the new folder, and delete the old one. 

If your previous folder had any issue with its permission settings, then this method will fix the issue. Also, try to save your files in the root directory (the main driver of your choice).