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»Fix “You Must Have Read Permissions to View the Properties of This Object”

Fix “You Must Have Read Permissions to View the Properties of This Object”

AbhishekBy AbhishekAugust 4, 2022
you must have read permissions to view the properties of this object

As the name suggests, you’ll encounter this error when your current logged-in user doesn’t have permission to access or view the properties of a file/folder. You can find the message on the Security tab of the folder properties.

It usually happens on a new local user due to restrictions from the admin. But it can also happen if you or a malware script changed the permission settings for the folder/file.

So, the only solution is to give the current user the permissions to fully control the folder or file.

Table of Contents

  • Fixes for You Must Have Read Permissions to View the Properties of This Object
    • Change Account to Administrator
    • Take Ownership and Change Permission Settings
    • Take Ownership and Change Permissions Using CLI
    • Share Folder to Everyone
    • Scan for Malware
    • Delete Inactive Users in Safe Mode

Fixes for You Must Have Read Permissions to View the Properties of This Object

First, restart your PC in case any process is using the file/folder and preventing you from accessing it. If the issue still occurs after the reboot, try the possible solutions we have provided below:

Change Account to Administrator

You can only access some protected folders from an administrator account. If you are using a local account, you need to switch to an admin one.

Alternately, you can also change your account to an admin account. Depending on your UAC settings, you may need to know the main admin account’s password to make such a change.

Here are the necessary steps for this method:

  1. Open Run and enter netplwiz.
  2. Select an account and click Properties.
  3. Go to the Group Membership tab.
  4. Check Administrator and click OK.
    netplwiz-administrator
  5. Hit Ok again.

You can also change an account to the administrator using other ways. Visit our dedicated article on changing account to administrator on windows to learn the methods.

Take Ownership and Change Permission Settings

If you encounter this issue on an admin account, there’s definitely something wrong with the folder or file’s permissions. To resolve such issues, you need to take ownership of the folder or root folder and change permissions using the following steps:

  1. Right-click on the folder with the problematic file and select Properties.
  2. Go to the Security tab and click Advanced.
    security-advanced-permissions
  3. Click Change and then Advanced.
  4. Hit Find Now and find your User account on the list.
  5. Select it along with Administrators and click Ok.
  6. Select Ok again.
  7. Check Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and click Apply.
  8. Click on Enable inheritance, if the option exists.
  9. Then, select Add > Select a principal.
  10. Perform the same actions as steps 5-7.
  11. Make sure to set Type to Allow and Applies to to This folder, subfolders and files.
  12. Check Full control.
    full-control-principal
  13. Click OK thrice to get out of the Folder Properties while saving the changes.

If you encounter this error on multiple files/folders, change such setting for their root folder or drive.

Take Ownership and Change Permissions Using CLI

If you find it troublesome to execute the above method, you can use the Windows CLIs like Command Prompt to perform a similar process. It only requires two commands so it’s more convenient. The necessary steps are as follows:

  1. Press Win + R to open Run.
  2. Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Elevated Command Prompt.
  3. Enter the following commands while replacing “Folder With Error” with the problematic file’s full location path:
    • takeown /f “Folder With Error” /a /r /d y
    • icacls “Folder With Error” /t /c /grant Administrators:F System:F Everyone:F

Share Folder to Everyone

Another solution is to share the folder with all users while enabling read/write permissions. It overwrites the original permission settings and makes the folder accessible to all users.

Here’s how you can execute this method:

  1. Right-click on the folder whose file shows this error and select Properties.
  2. Go to Sharing and select Advanced Sharing.
  3. Check Share this folder and click Permissions.
  4. Select Everyone and tick Full Control.
    advanced-sharing
  5. Keep Clicking OK to get out of the folder properties while saving the changes.

Scan for Malware

If you encounter this permission issue on the file or folder you could access previously, it’s likely due to malware infection. As such, changing permissions again may resolve the issue, but it does nothing to prevent future attacks. Moreover, some computer virus can also prevent you from changing the permission settings altogether.

So, you need to perform a full scan of your system to detect and remove such malware. To do so using the Windows Defender (Virus and threat protection):

  1. Open Run and enter ms-settings:windowsdefender
  2. Click on Virus and threat protection.
  3. Select Scan options.
  4. Check Full scan and click Scan now.
    full-scan-scan-now
  5. Choose to remove or delete the detected malware scripts after the scan completes.

Delete Inactive Users in Safe Mode

If you experienced this error on a new user account, it’s likely that an old, inactive account is preventing your system from changing the permissions to facilitate the new user.

You need to delete all inactive users while changing the permissions to accommodate the new user account in such a scenario.

First, you need to boot your PC in safe mode using the steps below:

  1. Open the Elevated Command Prompt.
  2. Enter the command bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal
  3. Restart your PC and it will boot in safe mode on the reboot.

Then, apply the following instructions in safe mode to delete the inactive users:

  1. Apply the steps 1 – 12 from the second method (Take Ownership and Change Permission Settings)
  2. Click OK.
  3. Select the inactive users from the list and click Remove.
  4. Click OK twice to get out of the Folder Properties while saving the changes.
  5. Open the Elevated Command Prompt and enter the command bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot to disable safe mode on every boot.
fix
Abhishek

I'm an electronics engineer, avid writer, and tech-enthusiast specializing in troubleshooting computer-related issues. I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction in diverse genres. Apart from that, I also have a habit of trying out most new games but never completing them.

Related Posts

windows search not working

How to Fix Windows Search Not Working?

August 16, 2022
what-is-a-password-reset-disk

What is a Password Reset Disk? How to Create It

August 16, 2022
start-pxe-over-ipv4

How to Fix Start PXE Over IPv4 on MAC

August 16, 2022
VOB-File

What is VOB File and How to Open It?

August 16, 2022
run-file-explorer-as-admin

How to Run File Explorer as Admin?

August 15, 2022
reset-windows-update-components

How to Reset Windows Update Components

August 15, 2022
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Posts
ethernet splitter vs switch vs hub

Ethernet Splitter Vs Switch Vs Hub – Which One is Better?

August 16, 2022
what-is-a-password-reset-disk

What is a Password Reset Disk? How to Create It

August 16, 2022
VOB-File

What is VOB File and How to Open It?

August 16, 2022
You may also like
how_to_factory_reset_laptop_without_password

How to Factory Reset Laptop Without Password (in 3 Ways)

August 16, 2022
how to measure power usage of a computer

How To Measure Power Usage of a Computer?

August 16, 2022
playstation-network-sign-in-failed

How to Fix “PlayStation Network Sign In Failed”?

August 16, 2022
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)

October 25, 2021
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
© 2022 TechNewsToday.

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