Windows users encounter crashes and errors related to various factors. Most often these are software-type malfunctions and they are corrected by finding and eliminating the source of the problem. One of the errors that can appear when trying to view the contents of a medium, for example, a USB flash drive or an external HDD, is “Location is not available. Access denied”. Usually, the reason lies in Windows security policies, where access restrictions to removable USB drives are set, in some cases the problem is provoked by the activity of malicious software or incorrect user actions, and sometimes by the work of a system administrator when it comes to an enterprise.
The same error can be found when trying to open a folder and usually it consists in the lack of access rights for the user. The crash often appears when connecting a second hard drive or network storage.
The problem of denial of access to a flash drive, other media or folder can be solved independently using the built-in system tools, while a prerequisite is the presence of administrator rights in Windows.
Enabling access to a flash drive and other USB drives in the Local Group Policy Editor
Remedy for “Location not available. Access Denied ”is suitable for Windows 10, 8.1 or 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions.
To solve the problem, do the following:
- Open the console with the Win + R combination, set the gpedit.msc command , press the enter key.
- We go to the section “Computer configuration” and then along the path “Administrative templates” – “System” – “Access to removable storage devices”.
- In the area on the right in the editor window, see if there are policies opposite to which the “Enabled” state is set.
- If so, double-click on the parameter and set “Not configured” or “Disabled” and apply the settings.
- We repeat the performed manipulations also in the “User Configuration” section.
You do not need to reboot the device, but you need to remove the drive, then after applying the changes to the parameters, connect it again.
Unlocking access to removable drives using the registry editor
In a situation where access to an external drive is denied and the “Location is not available” error pops up in Windows 10 or another version of the home edition, the problem can be solved using the registry editor. At the same time, you should make any adjustments to the system registry only if you have the appropriate skills, since incorrect user actions can lead to undesirable consequences for the system, including its failure. It is recommended that you make a backup before making edits so that you can revert to the copy in case something goes wrong.
You can unblock access to an external drive using the Windows Registry Editor as follows:
- Open the “Run” console (Win + R), enter the regedit command , press the enter key.
- In the editor, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section and further along the path SOFTWARE Policies Microsoft Windows and see if there is a RemovableStorageDevices subsection here.
- If so, right-click on it and select the “Delete” option.
- Now go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section in a similar branch and do the same here.
You do not need to restart your computer, but you need to unplug the drive and plug it back in.
What to do if access to a folder is denied
The most common problem is that the user does not have permission to open the directory.
To fix the error “Access to the folder is denied” and to be able to work with the contents of the object, do the following:
- Right-click on the object and open “Properties”.
- Go to the “Security” tab, click “Advanced”, as a result of which a window of additional security settings for the object will open.
- At the top of the window, basic information about the item, name and owner are displayed, in the line where the user who owns the directory is indicated, click “Change” to change the owner.
- In the window that opens, you need to specify the new owner of the folder, click the Check Names button, after which the name of the computer will also be added to the name, if the profile is specified correctly. You can also use your e-mail address for Microsoft accounts. We press “OK” or the enter key.
- Find the required account in the list of permission items and click twice. In a new window, all items in the “General permissions” block should be checked
- Go back to the properties of the folder again, where on the “Security” tab, click the “Change …” button.
- Select the required account and mark all the items for it in the “Allow” column, apply the changes, click “OK” and close the window. The problem should go away.
In the same way as in the case of the folder, you can check if there are any restrictions for the external drive. To do this, go to Explorer or “This computer” (“My computer”) and go to the properties of the object, then in the “Security” tab, click “Change …” and if certain actions with the disk are not allowed, then check these items.
The cause of the error with the message “Location is unavailable: Access to folder or disk is denied” could be malicious software that settled in the system or on the drive itself, to which there is no access, so it is worth scanning the computer and removable media with specialized software.
In some cases, the solution to the problem may be to format the drive, before which you should perform data recovery in order to prevent loss of information.