How To Solve: “Location Is Not Available” (Access is Denied)?

If you are not able to access the files on a drive and are getting the “Location is not available” error then you are not alone. This blog will help you fix your drive and make it accessible again. But first, you need to recover your files from that drive in case it falls into corruption beyond repair.

Also Read: How To Fix The “Cannot Read From The Source File Or Disk” Error In Windows 11/10

Expert Recommended Suggestions To Fix “Location Is Not Available” On Windows 10/11

Method 1: Turn On Admin Permissions

To fix the drive displaying the “Location is not available” on Windows 10/11, you need to add an authenticated user by following these steps:

Step 1: Make a right-click on the problematic drive and select “Properties” from the context menu.

Step 2: Click on the “Security” tab and then select the Edit option.

Step 3: Now, you need to choose the Add option and then click on Add Authenticated User.

Step 4: Check the box under Allow next to Full Control and then click on the OK button at the bottom.

Also Read: Solutions: Cannot Open External Hard Drive and Files/Folders

Method 2: Grab The Ownership Of the Drive

There are some instances where the “Location is not available on network drive” error appears when the user does not have permission to access the Hard Drive. In these cases, the Windows Operating System denies the access of the current user. To solve the “Location is not available” on Windows 10/11 issue, you need to take ownership by following these steps:

Step 1: Make a right click after selecting the problematic drive.

Step 2: Select Properties from the context menu.

Step 3: A new window will open where you have to click on the Security tab and then click on the Advanced button. Next, click on the Owner tab.

Step 4: A new screen will appear where you have to click on the Change option.

Step 5: Look for the “Enter the object name to select” option and type “Administrators”.

Step 6: Select the “Check Names” option and then click on OK.

Also Read: How To Fix Disk stuck at 100% in Windows Task Manager

Method 3: Launch CHKDSK

Another method to resolve “Location is not available” on Windows 10/11 is to use the CHKDSK command which will fix the file system errors and prevent any corruption of data due to bad sectors. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Press Win + R to open the RUN box.

Step 2: Type cmd and then press CTRL + Shift + Enter to open the command prompt in admin mode.

Step 3: Type the below-mentioned command followed by the Enter key.

chkdsk e: /f /r /x

Step 4: Wait for the process to complete and then close the command prompt window.

Try to access the file or folder and check if you are facing the “Location is not available” on the network drive or not.

Also Read: How To Fix The “Not Enough Disk Space For Windows 10 Update” Error

Method 4: Decrypt Files & Folders

If your file or the folder containing the file is encrypted, you can still receive the notice. This folder can only be opened via an encryption certificate. You can’t access it if the file system used for encryption malfunctions. On Windows, you should decrypt the file or folder.

Step 1: Press Win + R to open the RUN box.

Step 2: Type cmd and then press CTRL + Shift + Enter to open the command prompt in admin mode.

Step 3: Type Cipher.exe /d followed by pressing the Enter key.

Step 4: Next type, Cipher.exe /r to back up EFS certificates and keys.

Check if the file is accessible and you have resolved the “Location is not available” on Windows 10/11.

Also Read: How To Fix “You Need To Format The Disk In Drive Before You Can Use It” Error

The Final Word On How To Solve: “Location Is Not Available” (Access is Denied)?

You might have found a solution to your issue after trying all the suggestions above. If you know of a more effective way to resolve the location that is not available, or access is denied problem, please let us know. Use Advanced Disk Recovery to recover data in advance to prevent data loss.

Please let us know in the comments below if you have any questions or recommendations. We would be delighted to provide you with a resolution. We frequently publish advice, tricks, and solutions to common tech-related problems. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Flipboard, and Pinterest.