"access denied" when opening a folder

Question

while opening folder got message "access denied" please help me to fix this issue.

I'm using windows server 2012

Moved from Sysinternals

Original title: access denied

Answer 1

Your question (and VPHAN's answer) is about an access denied error opening a folder.

But the image that you posted shows a corrupt .xlsx file error. Two different problems.

MS support (and forum users) can't fix that other than to tell you that your best option is to restore the file from any backup that you have.

There are sites on the net that document methods to repair corrupted Excel files which you can try.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=fix+corrupted+excel+file

I would suggest that you first try to verify that the file contents at least looks like a .xlsx file. Download the strings utility and save it to your favorite utility folder.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/strings

Open a command prompt and run it.

strings -n 8 "c:\your-folder-name\name-of-the-spreadsheet.xlsx"

Verify that you see "[Content_Types].xml" and other instances of "xl/worksheets".

Check other .xlsx files that you have too.

If you don't see those characters, then something must have overwrote the file contents. In that case your data is gone.

If you see this, then the data is in xls format. Rename the file from .xlsx to .xls and try again.

You image also shows "Excel (Product Activation Failed)". I would recommend that you use a properly registered version of Excel.

Answer 2

hi sir,

I am still facing same issue as I discussed previously here, attached SS here for your ease, I already discussed it with MS support end, but don't why they don't able to fix it.

Usama

+919879969666

Screenshot (887).png

Answer 3

Hi MAB MAB,

Has your issue been solved? If it has, please accept the answer so that others can benefit too. If not, is there anything I can help you with? Please let me know.

Vivian

Answer 4

Hi,

This problem is typically caused by insufficient permissions, ownership conflicts, or security policy restrictions that were applied after folder migration, user profile changes, or updates. Please follow these steps carefully:

Check Folder Ownership:

Right-click the affected folder → Properties → Security tab → Advanced.

  Under **Owner**, verify that your account or the *Administrators* group is listed.
  
     If not, click **Change**, enter your username (or *Administrators*), select **Replace owner on subcontainers and objects**, and click **Apply**.
     
     **Adjust Permissions:**
     
        Still under **Security**, click **Edit** → **Add**, then add your user account or *Administrators* group.
        
           Grant **Full Control** permissions and click **Apply** → **OK**.
           
           **Use Command Line (if access via GUI fails):** Open **Command Prompt as Administrator** and run:
           
           ```yaml
           takeown /f "D:\Path\To\Folder" /r /d y

icacls "D:\Path\To\Folder" /grant administrators:F /t ```

           *(Replace the path with your actual folder path.)* This command sequence will take ownership and grant full control recursively.
           
           **Check if the folder is encrypted or locked by another process:**
           
              Right-click → **Properties** → **General → Advanced** → check if *Encrypt contents to secure data* is enabled.
              
                 If yes, ensure you’re logged in with the encryption certificate owner.
                 
                    You can also use **Sysinternals Process Explorer** to verify if another process has the folder handle open.
                    
                    **Verify Group Policy or Antivirus Restrictions:**
                    
                       Some GPOs or third-party security tools can restrict access to system folders.
                       
                          Check **gpresult /h gp.html** for applied policies, and temporarily disable real-time protection to test.
                          

Once ownership and permissions are properly restored, you should be able to open the folder without the “Access Denied” prompt.

I hope this helps you regain access smoothly 😊. If this resolves your issue, please click “Accept Answer” so others can benefit as well.

Best regards,

VP