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How to Fix You Need Permission to Perform This Action Error

Tested and proven fixes to make changes to your files without restriction

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

In Windows 10, like in any other version of Windows, you might notice that youcan’t access all the filesfrom your device. When you try to make changes to some folders, you might get a You need permission to perform this action error.

This is understandable if you are trying to access some system files. But if it happens for all folders on your PC, then there is a problem somewhere.

In this guide, we will show you how to eliminate this error for good and regain unrestricted access to your folders and files.

Why is my computer telling me I need administrator permission?

Below are some of the possible reasons you are getting you need permission to perform this action error on your PC:

How do I fix I need permission to perform this action?

1. Check your account type

To get unrestricted access to the contents on your PC, you need to use an administrative account. Else, you will get a You need permission to perform this action error while trying to perform some actions.

Also, if you are using a local account, you need to switch to an admin account orchange it to an administrator account.

2. Enable Safe Mode

Sometimes, a third-party app or process might be causing the You need permission to perform this action error. Starting your PC in Safe Mode will limit the number of drivers and processes that boots with your PC.

3. Change the owner of the file or folder

After doing that, you’ll have ownership over the selected file, and you’ll be able to get rid of the You need permission to perform this action error.

4. Add account to the list of admins

In some cases, you need to ensure that your account has all the administrative rights. To do this, you need to add the user account to the list of admins on the PC.

This will get rid of the You need permission to perform this action error. However, you should know that this fix will not work if your account is a standard one that has been restriccted by the admin.

5. Scan for malware

Sometimes, viruses can mess with your PC leading to the You need permission to perform this action error. This is especially true if the folder or file in question is infected.

Also, it is important to note that your third-party antivirus can cause this issue. So, you should disable it and use Windows Defender for the virus scan.

6. Repair system files and memory partitions

If the solutions above prove abortive in fixing the You need permission to perform this action error, the issue might be with your system files or memory. Running the command above should fix the cause of the issue and restore normalcy.

With this, we can conclude this detailed guide on how to fix a You need permission to perform this action on OneDrive, external drive, or any other folder, app, and files on your PC. You only need to follow the instructions carefully and things should be back to normal.

If you are facing other issues likeYou require permission from trustedinstaller, check our dedicated guide on topic to fix it for good.

Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.

How to Fix You Need Permission to Perform This Action Error#

Why is my computer telling me I need administrator permission?#

How do I fix I need permission to perform this action?#

1. Check your account type#

2. Enable Safe Mode#

3. Change the owner of the file or folder#

4. Add account to the list of admins#

5. Scan for malware#

6. Repair system files and memory partitions#