Unable to display current owner error on Windows 10 displays in owner box on the screen when the user tries to take ownership of the certain files or folders. Usually, this error is related to the privileges of the user’s account. To get access to open those files or folders, the user needs to get the owner’s rights.
What is Access Denied (Unable to Display Current Owner) Error?
If the user tries to take ownership of that particular file or folder that is hinting “Unable to display current owner” message in the Owner box, it will create the “Unable to set new owner on FOLDER, Access is denied” error. This error is also called the Access Denied error. Still, if the user tries to open that file or folder with no displayed ownership, he will get the following error message
“You have been denied permission to access this folder/file.”
In this article, I will try to explain all the possible solutions to resolve this issue. You can follow the steps given below and get access to the specific file or folder.
Frequent causes of unable to display current owner error or Access Denied error on Windows 10
- The file is protected by a Folder Lock software
- The Admin has blocked access for other users
- You don’t have full access to control all data on the system
- The file or folder which you are trying to open has been crashed, corrupted, or infected by some virus
- You are not logged in with a user approved by the admin.
- The selected file or folder is encrypted by using a hacking software
How to fix unable to display current owner error on Windows 10?
Folks, it seems you are encountering the Access Denied Error. Do not panic, just follow these troubleshooting steps to fix the error. Let’s start!
Run Shared Folder Troubleshooter
It is the simplest solution to fix this error. Before going to try the other solutions it is better to try running the shared folder manager. To do so follow these steps:
- Click the Start button and choose Settings.
- Updates and Security.
- Troubleshooting.
- In the list, Select and perform troubleshooting of the shared folder.
- Restart the system and check for the error.
Uninstall the Folder Lock software
- Press Win+R keys together and then type appwiz.cpl and hit enter to open Uninstall a program given inside Control Panel in your system.
- Now select the folder lock software, right-click on it and then choose to uninstall and follow the instruction to remove it from your system.
- Restart the PC and then open the file or data which you want to access. If it was enabled with any locking software, now you can access it easily.
Allow full access to Authenticated Users
Some users reported that the issue has been resolved by allowing Full Access to all authenticated users. Might be this solution is not useful in your case, but it’s one of the best ways that you should try before following the other troubleshooting steps mentioned below.
- Right-click on that particular file or folder and select Properties.
- Go to the Security tab and click on Advanced.
- In the Advanced Security Settings window, check for the Permissions tab is selected and click on Change permissions. In Windows 8 and Windows 10 click on Change(Next to Owner).
- Now click on Add in the Permissions window, and then click on Advanced Tab when asked by the Select User or Group window.
- Go to the Common Queries section and the Find Now button. Once you click it, you will get the search results and go the Authenticated Users, and Double Click on it.
- Once it is selected in the window press Ok.
- In the permission entry, check the Full control box under Allow and press Ok. Depending on the type of folder you will be asked to prompt action and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once it is done, restart your computer and check for the error.
Enable the inbuilt Administrator Account
“Unable to display current owner” error can be resolved easily by enabling the built-in administrator account because it has many more privileges than a normal administrator account. Follow these steps to enable the built-in Admin account by using the Command prompt:
- Go to the Search option and type “cmd”. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator.
- In the Command Prompt window, type “net user administrator /active: yes” and press Enter to enable the hidden Admin account.
- Once the command completed successfully, log out of your current user account and you will find a new user account named Administrator. Click on it to log in.
- Once you logged into the built-in Administrator account, try to access the file/folder that was creating issues.
Run chkdsk /F scan
Follow these steps to perform the chkdsk scan:
- Go to Search and type “cmd“. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator.
- Type cd + “exact path to folder or file” and press Enter.
- Type chkdsk /F and press Enter. If that particular file/folder is located on your boot disk (C:), the Command Prompt will ask you whether to scan it during the next system launch. Type Y and hit Enter to confirm.
- After pressing Y if it shows “This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts” then close the Command Prompt and restart your PC. The scan will detect the corrupted file and repair it automatically. Once your system restarts check for the error.
Running in Safe Mode
- Open System Configuration by pressing the Win+R key together and then type MSConfig and hit enter.
- In the System Configuration window, check the radio button given beside the Diagnostic startup and then click on apply.
- In the next window, you need to click on Restart to execute the next steps.
- Now try to access the file/ folder again. Now check for the error otherwise follow the next steps.
- Open cmd or command prompt by pressing Win+X+A
- In cmd window, type net user administrator /active: yes and press the Enter key to see the hidden Admin accounts.
- Now press Win+L and then login with the newly created admin user.
At this time, you will be able to access the file which was showing an error message of Unable to display current owner on Windows 10.
- After completing your task within this user account, now open the cmd again and type net user administrator /active: no to make the settings as before.
Re-check the Folder Permissions Settings
- Right-click on the folder that is causing the issue and then clicks on Properties, given at the bottom of the options menu.
- Now choose the user names and then you will see the allowed permissions for your user under Allow If any option is showing unchecked means, you are not permitted to access that file or folder.
Check your Anti-virus settings
An antivirus is a smart software that protects the Operating System from malware and spyware but sometimes it blocks the necessary files and treats it as a virus. So, in this case, it might be anti-virus is treating the admin files as a virus and hence blocking the same.
Henceforth, you must disable the Antivirus to access the ownership of files or folders and for that, you can move to the tray section listed at the bottom of the toolbar and then select the antivirus. Now, right-click on the antivirus and then select the option ‘Disable’. After doing this task, restart the computer.
Conclusion
These were some of the effective steps to resolve an issue ‘Unable to display current owner error on Windows 10. You need to follow the steps carefully and make sure to adhere to the above-mentioned process step by step. Wanna some more DeviceTricks? Stay tuned to this space to get the latest updates on the fixes on errors related to Windows, Mac, and Android.
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