How to fix “You don’t have permission to save to this location” error on Windows

When Windows displays the error “You do not have permission to save to this location”, it will prevent you from saving files to any folders you choose. There can be several reasons for this, ranging from a lack of permission to access a folder to conflicting third-party programs.

If you are unable to determine the cause of the error, follow the troubleshooting tips below to help you get rid of the error.

1. Change Folder Permissions

Since the error mostly appears due to a lack of necessary permissions, the first thing to do is to change the folder permissions to give you full control over the folder.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Right-click the folder where you want to save the files and select Properties.
2. In the Properties window, switch to Security tongue.
3. Select your username from the list and click Edit to change folder permissions.
4. Check the Allow side box Total control.
5. Hit Apply followed by OKAY.

2. Change Folder Owner

If changing the permissions of the folder doesn’t help, you can make yourself the owner of the folder. This will allow you to freely access, modify and save files in this folder. It should be noted that you can only do this if you are logged in with an administrator account.

Follow these steps to change the owner of a folder in Windows:

1. Right-click the folder whose ownership you want to change and select Properties.
2. Under the Security tab, select Advanced.
3. Click on To change close to Owner.

4. In the Enter the name of the object to select field, type your username and click the Check names button. Then hit OKAY.

5. Check the box that says Replace owner on subcontainers and objects.
6. Hit Apply so what OKAY.

Once you have taken ownership of the folder, the permission error should no longer bother you. If the above method does not work for some reason, you can use a third-party tool to take ownership of a folder on Windows. The best part is that these tools allow you to take ownership of multiple files at once.

3. Run the application with administrative privileges

Such an error can occur if the application or program you are using does not have the necessary permissions to access files on your PC. You can solve the problem by simply running the program with administrator rights.

Right-click on the program that fails to save your files and select Execute as administrator. Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.

Try saving your file in the desired folder. If the error persists, proceed to the next solution.

If this method works, however, you can configure Windows to always run your application with administrative privileges in a few steps. Here’s how.

1. Right click on your program and select Properties.
2. Go to Compatibility tongue.
3. Check it Run this program as administrator check box.
4. Select Apply followed by OKAY.

4. Run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

If running the application with administrative privileges does not help, you can turn to the Windows Program Compatibility Troubleshooter for assistance. It will automatically detect and fix any compatibility issues with your program and help you fix the error. Here’s how to run it.

1. Right click on your program and select Compatibility issues.
2. In the troubleshoot program compatibility window, select Troubleshooting program.
3. Check the box that says The program requires additional permissions and knock Next.

4. Click it Test the program and try to save your file again.

5. Check your antivirus program

Sometimes, your PC’s antivirus software can get too cautious and block apps from accessing specific folders. When this happens, Windows may display the error message “You do not have permission to save to this location”.

To fix this problem, you can go through your antivirus program settings and whitelist your app or program from there. Alternatively, you can also temporarily disable your antivirus program and then save your file. Be sure to re-enable your antivirus program once the file is saved.

6. Disable User Account Control

User Account Control (UAC) is a Windows security feature that prevents apps and users from making system-level changes without permission. Although the feature protects your PC from unwanted system changes, it can sometimes interfere with Windows processes and cause problems, such as the one described here.

You can temporarily disable User Account Control in Windows to see if that fixes the error. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Hurry Win + S to open the search menu.
2. Type change User Account Control settings and select the first result that appears.
3. In the User Account Control Settings window, drag the slider down and press OKAY.

4. Select Yes when the User Account Control prompt appears.

After disabling User Account Control, check if you can save files in the desired folder.

7. Save the file to a different location and then move it

One way to get around the “You don’t have permission to save to this location” error is to save your file to a different location and then move it to a folder of your choice. Rather, it’s a workaround that you can use if the above methods don’t work.

8. Solve the problem in safe mode

Safe Mode is a useful tool that can help you fix various issues with your PC. If none of the above methods work, you can try starting Windows in Safe Mode.

When you boot into Safe Mode, Windows only works with essential drivers and programs. This will help you determine if the “You don’t have permission to save to this location” error is caused by a third-party app or service running in the background.

There are several ways to start Windows in Safe Mode. Use your preferred method to start your PC in Safe Mode, then check if you can save your file successfully. If this method works, it’s likely that a background program or service is causing the problem. Apps and programs you installed recently are more likely to have caused the problem.

Save your files without any hassle

In most cases, you should be able to fix the “You don’t have permission to save to this location” error by changing folder permissions or running your program with administrative privileges. Otherwise, you may need to resort to other methods listed above to fix the annoying error message.