How to Fix Permission (Access Denied) Errors on Windows
How to take ownership of files, and the case of EFS encryption that persists even with administrator permissions.
Windows tells you "access denied" when trying to open, move or delete a file or folder — even though you own the machine. It has a solution in the vast majority of cases.
1. Take ownership of the file or folder
- Right-click the file/folder → "Properties".
- "Security" tab → "Advanced".
- Next to "Owner", click "Change".
- Type your username → "Check Names" → OK.
- Check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" if it's a folder with content inside.
2. Give your user full control
Same "Properties" window → "Security" tab → "Edit" → select your user → check "Full control" in the "Allow" column → Apply.
The case almost nobody explains: encrypted files (EFS)
If none of the above works, and you're still seeing "access denied" even with full administrator permissions, the file might be encrypted with EFS (Encrypting File System) — a different feature from BitLocker. A file encrypted with EFS is only accessible to the exact account that encrypted it, no matter what other permissions it has. Right-click → Properties → "Advanced" → check whether "Encrypt contents to secure data" is checked.
If the file comes from another user account or from a disk moved from another computer, and it's encrypted with EFS, the only way to access it is with the original account that encrypted it, or with its recovery certificate — there's no way to "bypass" this by design, that's precisely what makes the encryption secure.
Resetting permissions with a command
If permissions are in a confusing state after several changes, this command resets them to the system's default values (Command Prompt as administrator):
icacls "C:\path\to\the\folder" /reset /T
Warning: this command overwrites any custom permission you had set up before on that folder, returning everything to default values. Use it when you no longer know what specific permissions you had configured and would rather start from scratch.
If the problem is with an entire drive, not a file
It might point to a more serious disk problem. Our guide on how to check disk health helps rule that out before continuing to adjust permissions.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I still see 'access denied' even as administrator?
The most common cause, besides badly configured NTFS permissions, is that the file is encrypted with EFS — in that case, not even administrator permissions grant access, only the exact account that encrypted it.
Is EFS the same as BitLocker?
No, they're different encryption features. BitLocker encrypts whole drives; EFS encrypts individual files or folders, linked to the specific user account that encrypted them.
Can the icacls command delete my files?
No, it only modifies access permissions — it doesn't touch the files' content itself. It does overwrite any custom permission setup you had before.