Administrative Permission win 11 not Working

Question

I am logged in to my computer as an administrator. My user account states "Administrator".

When trying to delete a directory with sub directories I am told I need Administrator Permission. Normally I just click on continue and it is deleted. Now it wants me to get permission from my computer. I need permission from "COMPUTER-NAME\ my name". I can delete files from the directories, delete the directories and then I can delete the main directory.

This is not the name of my account which is the only account on the computer.

I clicked on something to stop Microsoft sending notifications.

Does anybody have any ideas?

Answer 1

Hi @Dean Porter

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum 

Regarding your issue, the error usually means the folder's "Security Descriptor" has become corrupted or was modified by the setting you changed. When you "clicked something" to stop notifications, you might have inadvertently tightened a security policy or altered User Account Control (UAC) settings. 

Here are a few steps you can try:

 1. Take ownership of the Folder 

• Right-click the main directory and select Properties. 
• Go to the Security tab and click Advanced. 
• Look for Owner: at the top. Click Change. 
• Type Everyone in the box, click Check Names, and hit OK. 
• Crucial: Check the box that says, "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects". 
• Click Apply and OK. 

2. Reset Permissions 

• Type cmd in your Start menu, right-click it, and Run as Administrator. 
• Type the following command (replace the path with your actual folder path): 
• takeown /f "C:\Path\To\Folder" /r /d y 
• Then, run this command to grant yourself full control: 
• icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" /grant everyone:F /t 
• /f: Specifies the file or directory. 
• /r: Performs the operation on all files in the directory (recursive). 
• /grant everyone:F: Gives every user "Full Control." 

3. Check your UAC Settings 

• Search for "Change User Account Control settings" in the Start menu. 
• Ensure the slider is not at the very top ("Always notify") or the very bottom ("Never notify"). 
• 
• The second from the top is the default. If it was set to "Never notify" while your account permissions were in flux, Windows might simply block actions instead of asking for your password. 

Hopefully it will help work with your issue and if you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.  

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Answer 2

It seems that you are encountering issues with administrative permissions when trying to delete a directory in Windows 11. Here are some steps you can take to resolve this issue:

1. Check User Account Control (UAC) Settings: Sometimes, UAC settings can affect your ability to perform administrative tasks. You can adjust these settings by searching for "User Account Control" in the Start menu and setting it to a lower level.
2. Take Ownership of the Folder: You can take ownership of the folder you are trying to delete. Right-click on the folder, select "Properties," go to the "Security" tab, click on "Advanced," and then change the owner to your user account.
3. Use Command Prompt: If the graphical interface does not work, you can try deleting the folder using Command Prompt. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and use the command rmdir /s /q "C:\path\to\your\folder" to force delete the directory and its contents.
4. Check for Permissions: Ensure that your account has full control permissions for the folder. You can do this by right-clicking the folder, selecting "Properties," going to the "Security" tab, and checking the permissions for your user account.
5. Disable Third-Party Software: If you have any third-party security software installed, it might be interfering with your ability to delete files. Try temporarily disabling it to see if that resolves the issue.

If you continue to experience problems, you may want to check if there are any system updates available or consider restoring your system to a previous state when it was functioning correctly.