USB drives are an essential tool for storing and transferring data, However, sometimes when you plug in your USB device, you may encounter an error message stating “USB Drive Not Accessible, Access is Denied.” And this error prevents opening or modifying files on the USB drive, making it impossible to access your important data. It indicates that your Windows PC has detected the USB drive but failed to recognize it. This issue can occur for several reasons, including insufficient permissions, security restrictions, file system corruption, or conflicts with Windows policies. In some cases, antivirus programs or BitLocker encryption can also cause access restrictions, blocking you from using the drive. Whatever the reason, here we have multiple troubleshooting steps you can take to regain access to your USB drive and retrieve your files.
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How to Fix ‘USB Access Denied’ Error
The “Access is Denied” error is a Windows security response that occurs when the system detects that the user or application trying to access the USB drive does not have the required permissions. It can also indicate that the drive has become corrupted or is locked due to encryption settings.
- Insufficient Permissions – The system may restrict access to the USB drive due to permission settings.
- Corrupt File System – If the USB drive’s file system is damaged, Windows may block access.
- BitLocker Encryption – A USB drive encrypted with BitLocker may require a password or recovery key.
- Drive Letter Conflict – The system may not assign a proper drive letter, making the USB inaccessible.
- Malware or Security Restrictions – Antivirus software or Windows security policies may block access.
Assign a new drive letter to the USB drive
If your USB drive has the same drive letter as other drives connected to your Windows, a conflict will happen, and your USB drive will also be inaccessible.
You can go to Disk Management to have a check. If that is the case, you can reassign a drive letter to the USB and then, the issue will be fixed. If there is no issue with the USB drive letter, try the next solution.
- Press Win + X and select Disk Management.
- Locate your USB drive, right-click it, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
- Click Change in the pop-up window and assign a new drive letter to the partition. Remember to set a different letter from other partitions to the USB drive partition.
Then, check if you can access the USB drive.
Modify the ownership of the USB drive
If your user account lacks the necessary permissions, changing them manually can resolve the issue.
- Right-click the USB drive and select Properties.
- Navigate to the Security tab and click Edit.
- Select your User Account and check Full Control under permissions.
- Click Apply and OK.
- Try opening the drive again.
Now, you can try to access the USB drive to check if it is still inaccessible.
Add Authenticated User to the USB drive
As the USB drive is access denied, you can try to add an authenticated user to get permission to access it.
- Right-click the USB drive and select Properties.
- Select the Security tab and click Edit to open the Permissions for New Volume box.
- Click Add and add a new user named Authenticated User. Then, click OK.
- Check the Full control option and click Apply > OK.
Run CHKDSK to Fix File System Errors
A corrupted file system can prevent access to the USB drive. Running a disk check can fix errors.
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
- Type the command chkdsk X: /f /r /x and press Enter. (Replace “X” with your USB drive letter.)
- Wait for the scan to complete, then check if you can access the drive.
Scan for Malware and Security Restrictions
Security software or malware can block access to external drives. Run a full antivirus scan using Windows Defender or third-party antivirus software.
Check Windows security policies:
- Press Win + R, type
gpedit.msc, and press Enter. - Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access.
- Ensure that all policies are set to Not Configured.
Restart your computer and try accessing the USB drive.
Format the USB Drive (Last Resort)
If none of the above methods work and the USB is still inaccessible, formatting may be necessary. ⚠ Warning: Formatting will erase all data on the USB drive.
- Open File Explorer, right-click the USB drive, and select Format.
- Choose FAT32 or NTFS as the file system.
- Click Start and confirm the action.
After the formatting process is done, the USB drive is accessible again.
Recover Data from the Inaccessible USB Drive
According to our and most of the users’ experiences, the USB drive inaccessible issue is mainly caused by file system corruption or RAW file system. And any further operation on the USB drive may corrupt the data on it.
So, in order to protect your data, you’d better recover data from your USB drive before taking the following ways to fix it.
As the USB drive is inaccessible, the only way to rescue data from it is to use data recovery software. iBoysoft Data Recovery is such a professional data recovery tool with a high recovery rate.
It supports recovering lost data from corrupted, RAW, unreadable, and inaccessible USB drives, external hard drives, SD cards, etc.
You can follow the steps below to recover data from your inaccessible USB drive on Windows:
- Free download, install and launch iBoysoft Data Recovery on your Windows 10.
- Select the inaccessible USB drive and click Next to scan the lost files.
- Choose your desired data and click Recover.
Now, your lost files come back. You can get down to fix your USB drive that’s not accessible on Windows 10.
Also read:
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- Fix inaccessible boot device Error on Windows 10 (Bug Check 0x0000007b)
- Fix Windows 10 Inaccessible Boot Device BSOD (5 Working solutions)
- Solved: An operating system wasn’t found on Windows 10/8.1/7
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