How to Fix Command Prompt Access Denied to Administrator?

Command Prompt Access Denied to Administrator

Command Prompt, a command line interpreter application, is available in Windows systems. It allows you to perform some advanced administrative functions and solve certain issues in your operating system. Sometimes, you might receive a message saying that access is denied while trying to run certain command lines in Command Prompt. How to bypass Command Prompt access denied in Windows 10/11? Scroll down to get more details!

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How to Fix Command Prompt Access Denied to Administrator on Windows 10/11?

Fix 1: Launch Command Prompt with Administrative Rights

To execute some commands, you need to run Command Prompt with administrative rights. If you don’t grant the privileges, you might get the “Access is denied” error in Command Prompt. Follow these guidelines:  

Step 1. Press Win + S to evoke the search bar.

Step 2. Type cmd to locate Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3. If prompted by User Account Control, click on Yes to grant the permission. Now, execute your command to see if Command Prompt access denied to administrator still persists.

Fix 2: Verify Local Group Policy Settings

There exists a local group policy setting that can prevent you from accessing Command Prompt. If you enable this setting by mistake, you will run into the Command Prompt access denied error. In this case, follow these steps to turn it off:

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run box.

Step 2. Type gpedit.msc and hit Enter to launch Local Group Policy Editor.

Step 3. Navigate to: User Configurations > Administrative Templates > System.

Step 4. In the right pane, double-click on Prevent access to the command prompt.

Step 5. Tick Not Configured and save the change.

Fix 3: Modify Windows Registry

Also, you can fix Command Prompt access denied by modifying some registries. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Type regedit in the Run box and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.

Step 2. Go to this path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

Step 3. In the right-pane, find DisableCMD REG_DWORD value, right-click on it, and then select Delete.

Step 4. Restart your computer.

Fix 4: Scan for Malware

Malware and viruses can also prevent you from opening certain programs or features. Therefore, you can perform a full scan of your computer to detect and remove any threats. To do so:

Step 1. Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.

Step 2. Head towards: Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.

Step 3. Click on Scan options > tick Full scan > hit Scan now to start the scanning.

Final Words

How to fix access denied in Command Prompt? I believe you have a clear mind now. More importantly, it’s better to add an extra protection for your crucial files by backing them up with MiniTool ShadowMaker. Have a nice day!