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Can’t Access My Files in Windows 10: 7 Easy Fixes

Your guaranteed tickets to regaining access to your files quickly

7 min. read

Updated onMarch 20, 2024

updated onMarch 20, 2024

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Key notes

Fix Windows 10 OS errors with Fortect:

Access Denied error in Windows 10 happens when you try to access or work with files. This can be frustrating, as it can make you lose essential data.

There are different variations of this error with various causes. However, it is not the most issue to fix, requiring some tweaks and alterations in some cases.

If you can’t access your files on Windows 10 and 11 due to various error messages, try the solutions listed in this guide based on what error message you get.

Why can’t I access my documents in Windows 10?

If you can’t access your files, the issue is usually accompanied by an error message. Below are some of the variations of this error and the causes:

What do I do if I can’t open files on my computer?

1. Folder ownership changes

If you upgraded Windows recently from an earlier version, some account information might also have changed, so you may not haveownership of some files or folders.

2. You don’t have the appropriate permissions

To change the permissions of a file or folder, follow these steps.

Permissions determine whether or not you can access or change files and folders. So, for example, if you can’t access your files accompanied by anaccess deniederror message even as an administrator, it might be because you don’t have the read permission for the file.

3. File or folder is encrypted

Encryption protects your files and folders fromunauthorized access. If you don’t have the certificate used to encrypt the file or folder, you cannot open it.

4. File or folder may be corrupted

Files can become corruptedfor various reasons, but the most common is when you have a file open when your computer crashes or loses power.

Unfortunately, you cannot repair most such files, so you should delete orrestore the file from a backup copy.

To run a check on file integrity, we recommend amulti-functional repair toolthat fixes most issues on your computer.

5. User profile may be corrupted

Sometimes Windows may not correctly read your local user profile, which means you may lose access to your files and folders. In this case, you must create a new user profile, so you need a newlocal user account. This should fix the can’t access folders and files issue.

6. Recover files from Windows.old folder

After a recent upgrade, if you don’t reformat your hard disk, you can access old files from theWindows.old folder. To resolve this, you can use the Fix it link from Windows or manually fixes it yourself using the steps above.

7. Manually enable SMBv1

SMBv1 is a file-sharing protocol that allows you to access your files from your Windows computer. This will install the files necessary for the file sharing protocol needed for you to access your files.

How do I fix folder access denied on Windows 11?

If you are getting the folder access denied error message on Windows 11, you can fix it by making your account the admin if it is not.

Another fix is to change your permission to be able to read the folder. For detailed steps on these fixes and other potential solutions, check our dedicated article on how tofix the access denied error on Windows 11.

Why can’t I access the Documents and Settings folder?

If you can’t access the Documents and Settings folder, it is most likely that you don’t have the necessary permissions to read the folder.

Also, it might be because you need admin access to read the program. You can check the solutions in the earlier sections of this article to fix the issue.

The can’t access files error message can be time-wasting and frustrating. But it is an issue that is easy to fix, as we have shown in this guide.

If you need a dedicated guide to fix theaccess denied error message on Windows 10, check this guide for the easy steps.

Were you able to access files after using any of the above solutions? Let us know by leaving a comment in the section below.

Can’t Access My Files in Windows 10: 7 Easy Fixes#

Why can’t I access my documents in Windows 10?#

What do I do if I can’t open files on my computer?#

1. Folder ownership changes#

2. You don’t have the appropriate permissions#

3. File or folder is encrypted#

4. File or folder may be corrupted#

5. User profile may be corrupted#

6. Recover files from Windows.old folder#

7. Manually enable SMBv1#

How do I fix folder access denied on Windows 11?#

Why can’t I access the Documents and Settings folder?#