How to Fix ‘You need permission to perform this action’ Issue – Guide
Microsoft provides various safeguards to protect your files and data from being deleted, renamed or modified in Windows. However, these protections can sometimes lead to errors such as “You need permission to perform this action” when trying to open a file, delete a folder or run an application. In some cases, Windows may even block certain tasks or actions regardless of the user’s administrator status.
The error may not always appear, but it is more likely to occur when attempting certain tasks such as copying files, renaming folders or files, deleting files or folders, and installing programs. No single factor is responsible for the issue.
If the correct security permissions are not in place, or if they have been changed incorrectly, users may encounter an error when attempting to access a folder or file. Additionally, if the folder or file is locked by a system service or process due to its importance for Windows operations, this error may also occur.
Fix the error “You need permission to perform this action”
Check Windows User Account Type
Checking your Windows user account type is a simple fix for the “You need permission to perform this action” error. Depending on the type of account you have, Administrator, Standard or Guest, you may be able to access different activities on your Windows machine.
The administrator account is the ultimate controller of a computer, granting access to all other Windows user accounts.
A standard account on a computer grants access to programs, media and more, but cannot install new programs or remove existing ones. The administrator can decide what other restrictions or privileges come with the default account.
Guest accounts are typically used by those who need occasional access to a computer, such as visitors or strangers. These accounts have limited privileges compared to other users.
If you don’t have access to certain files or folders due to permission restrictions, you may be able to temporarily fix the issue by entering the Administrator user account password. However, this is only a short-term solution and does not provide ongoing access to the entire computer.
Take full control of the file or folder
A Windows Administrator user account can take control of files and folders belonging to other users, even if those users have changed the access permissions. This is useful when file permissions fail or another user denies access.
To keep tabs on a file or folder, right-click it and select Properties. Then, open the Security tab and click Advanced.
Open the Advanced Security Settings window, select Change, then Find Now to display a list of users on your system. Select your Windows user account name and click OK.
To ensure the security of your files, check the box for “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects” in the Advanced Security Settings window and click “Apply.”
Add yourself to the Admin Group
You can add yourself to the Administrators Group on your system, but only if you’re not using a standard Windows user account restricted to an Administrator. To do so, follow these steps.
The Windows key + X shortcut opens a menu from which users can select Computer Management.
Navigate to Local Users & Groups > Users to view a list of user accounts.
To access the Member Of tab, right-click your username and select Properties.
Press Add and enter “Administrators” in the Enter the names of objects to be selected box.
Choose “Check Names” and hit “OK” to confirm.
Boot into safe mode
If you’re having trouble accessing a file or folder, booting into Windows Safe Mode may help. To do this, press the Windows key + R, enter msconfig and press Enter.
Navigate to the Boot tab in your system’s settings and enable Secure Boot for added security.
Press the Apply button and restart your device.
Attempt to gain access to the restricted file after the system has booted up.
To avoid booting into safe mode again, make sure to open msconfig and uncheck the Safe boot option before restarting Windows.
Run SFC and CHKDSK
To fix the “You need permission to perform this action” error, users can run Windows System File Check (SFC), an integrated system tool that scans for corrupt files.
Before running the System File Checker (SFC) command, it is important to verify that it will work correctly. To do this, use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool, a built-in Windows utility with a variety of functions. The DISM Restorehealth command should be used to ensure that SFC will run properly.
Open an elevated Command Prompt by typing “Command Prompt (Admin)” in the Start menu search bar, then right-clicking and selecting “Run as administrator.”
To restore the health of your computer, type in the command “DISM / online / cleanup-image / restorehealth” and press Enter.
Users should be patient when running a command, as it may take up to 20 minutes to complete. Though the process may appear to hang at times, users should wait until it finishes.
Run the command “sfc /scannow” to finish the process.
Windows system tool CHKDSK can be used to check for errors on your entire drive. Unlike SFC, which only scans Windows system files, CHKDSK scans the whole drive. To fix any issues, run the CHKDSK check from the command prompt.
To open Command Prompt with administrator privileges, type “Command Prompt” in the Start menu search bar, right-click the top result and select “Run as administrator,” or press Windows key + X and select “Command Prompt (Admin).”
Run the command ‘chkdsk /r’ to scan your system for errors and repair any issues.
Final note
This guide provides a solution to the “You need permission to perform this action” issue. If you have any questions, please contact us. We invite you to share this article with your friends and spread the love.
