[Fixed] Folder Access Denied: You Need Permission to Delete File in Windows 10

Scenario: You need permission to delete file in Windows 10

“I tried to delete a file from my Windows 10 computer, but the system asked me for administrator permission, so I rebooted Windows and tried again. However, I still can't remove, delete, or rename a file or folder, the File Explorer keeps note me that I need administrator permission to delete files. What should I do?”

Possible reasons for the note: You need administrator permission to delete this file

As you see in the scenario, the users have been banned to delete the files by the system and have been asked for administrator permission. And normally, some users find although they are the administrator account, this case may also appear.

Here, we find some possible reasons for this situation:

•Strong security The permissions issue might be caused by Windows 10's security and privacy regulations for safety considerations.

•Administrative access To copy, remove, rename, or alter settings, users must be granted administrator privileges. The authorization prohibits unauthorized users like guest users and other sources. Also, this permission prevents scripts from accessing system data.

•Admin Password Security File permissions can be changed by administrators. Some tasks will be inaccessible to users unless they have authorization. It will display the error notice "You will need to obtain administrator permission to remove this folder."

•Malware Attack Some viral assaults on a computer may attempt to get administrative access to the operating system. The malware might attempt to exploit system weaknesses. File permissions are specified to prevent unauthenticated objects from gaining full access to the file. It helps Windows determine if a user is eligible for certain file access and write privileges.

How to delete a file that says you need permission?

To solve the problem, here we’ll show you some methods to fix the files/folder access denied. You can try some of them to safely fix the issue.

Way 1. Take ownership of the file/folder

Step 1. Right-click the folder you want to delete and select Properties.

Step 2. Switch to the Security tab and click the Advanced button.

Step 3. Click the Change link on the first pop-up interface.

Step 4. Click the Advanced button on the second pop-up interface.

Step 5. Click the Find Now button and then select the user you want to transfer ownership to.

Step 6. Click OK on each interface to save the changes.

Step 7. Right-click the folder you want to delete and select Properties. Switch to the Security tab and click the Advanced button.

Step 8. Click the Add button in the Permission tab on the first pop-up interface.

Step 9. Click the Select a principal link on the second pop-up interface.

Step 10. Click the Advanced button.

Step 11. Click the Find Now button.

Step 12. Select your account from the Search results list.

Step 13. Click OK on each interface to save the changes.

Way 2. Change user account control settings

Step 1. To launch the Run dialogue, press Win + R, and press Enter after typing “UserAccountControlSettings”.

Step 2. In this window, switch the button to Never notify and click OK to save the change.

Way 3. Delete files in safe mode

Step 1. Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.

Step 2. Click the Restart Now button under the Advanced startup section. You will enter Windows RE.

Step 3. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

Step 4. Press the F4 key to enter Windows 10 Safe Mode.

Step 5. In Safe Mode, you can try to delete the target folder or file.

Way 4. Enable the built-in Admin account

Step 1. Open an elevated Command Prompt. Press Win + R to open the Run dialogue, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open it in administrator mode.

Step 2. Insert the command to enable the built-in administrator account: net user administrator /active:yes

Close the command prompt after the command executes. Try to delete the folder again, now from the admin account. You should be able to delete the folder without any difficulties.

Note: You can disable the built-in administrator account any time you want by entering the command: net user administrator /active:no

Way 5. Use a third-party tool to delete files

If the above ways did not work, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant, an easy-to-use and secure file shredder for Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7. As a completely safe and incredibly effective partition manager, it may assist you in securely deleting faulty folders or data.

With its "Shred Files" feature, you can permanently erase selected files or folders from your PC in just four simple actions.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant. In the main console, click "Wipe" and select "Shred Files".

Step 2. In the small window, click "Add Files" or "Add Folder" to choose the file or folder you want to delete forcibly.

Step 3. Then, choose "Write Zero" as the shredding method. 

Step 4. Click the "Shred" button and you will be mentioned a confirmation note, click "Yes" to go on.

Note: If you need, you can also directly format the drive that stores the files or folders you want to delete.

Bottom lines

If you find the note that informs you you’ll need permission to delete file in Windows 10 or other versions, but you don’t know how to delete access denied folder, this post can offer you some ideas.

AOMEI Partition Assistant is a multifunctional disk tool, you can also clone/wipe disks, and convert disks to MBR/GPT without deleting partitions, etc. And it has the Server Edition, which you can use to conveniently manage your Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2).