CHKDSK Access Denied in Windows 11/10/8/7: 6 Useful Fixes

Why is my access denied to CHKDSK?

CHKDSK (check disk) is a Windows system utility that can scan and repair hard drive errors and keep all system data organized. However, CHKDSK access denied is a common error that prevents you from accessing this tool properly with an error message like: Access Denied as you do not have sufficient privileges or the disk may be locked by another progress.

Commonly, the access denied error on CHKDSK could be caused by various reasons including:

• Not running CMD in elevated mode
• Registry corruption
• Corrupted drive that consists installed Windows
• Local account type
• Not having the ownership of the partition

If you are troubled by the same error, now you can follow the effective solutions below to know how to fix access denied for CHKDSK.

How to Solve CHKDSK Access Denied in 6 Ways Easily

Before trying any complicated fixes for can't run CHKDSK, access denied, you can first restart your computer to have a try. If the error persists, please go on with the guidance below.

Method 1. Run Command Prompt with administrator privileges

Some commands in Windows require that you run them from an elevated Command Prompt. Basically, this means running Command Prompt with administrator-level privileges. So the "access denied as you do not have sufficient privileges CHKDSK" error may occur when try to execute the CHKDSK command from a normal Command Prompt window. To run the tool in elevated mode, you can follow the steps below:

Step 1. Access Command Prompt by typing "cmd" in the Windows search box.

Step 2. Right-click on Command Prompt from the search result, and choose Run as administrator. And accept any User Account Control messages.

Step 3. Then, restart your computer and check if your CHKDSK command running is smooth.

Method 2. Repair corrupted registry files

Sometimes the registry corruption can cause that you do not have enough privileges to complete this operation issue. In this case, you can go for SFC(System File Checker) and the DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) to repair corrupt or missing system registry files.

Step 1. Run Command Prompt as administrator like the method above.

Step 2. Paste or type sfc /scannow and click Enter to execute this command.

Step 3. After the system scan is completed, enter the following command in sequence, and press the Enter key to execute:

• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Step 4. Wait for these commands to execute. After complication, restart your computer.

Method 3. Take partition ownership

Taking ownership of the partition is another solution you can use to get rid of the CHKDSK denied access error like CHKDSK /f access denied.

Step 1. Open Windows File Explorer, right-click the target partition and select Properties.

Step 2. Navigate to the Security tab and click on Advanced.

Step 3. Click on Change to access the Select User or Group dialogue.

Step 4. Type your user account in edit box of Enter the object name to select, and then click OK.

Step 5. To grant full access to the partition for your account, revisit the Security tab of that partition in File Explorer.

Step 6. Click Add > Select a principle. Set permissions to Full Control and click OK to apply.

Method 4. Enable administrator account

Enabling administrator account on your computer may be helpful to fix CHKDSK access denied on Windows.

Step 1. Open Control Panel and click on Change account type, then tap on your user account name.

Step 2. Choose Administrator and tap on Change account type again.

Step 3. Close the window and check if the CHKDSK access denied on Windows 10/11 or other systems is resolved.

Method 5. Check disk health

You can check your disk’s status with the WMIC utility in the Windows Command Prompt to confirm if there is a root cause of the 'access denied as you do not have sufficient privileges CHKDSK' error on your hard drive, which will help you fix the error. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1. Launch the command prompt as an administrator.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands sequentially and press Enter to execute them:

• wmic
• diskdrive get status

Step 3. If your drive is in good health, you will receive an OK message.

Method 6. Convert FAT32 to NTFS

You can utilize Command Prompt to convert FAT32 to NTFS without formatting. Follow these straightforward steps:

Step 1. Close all programs that are running on the FAT 32 partition. Then, run Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2. Type the command: convert f: /fs:ntfs, and press Enter. Please ensure to replace f: with the specific drive letter of your FAT32 partition.

Always backup Windows files to prevent data loss

You can try the above solutions to solve the problem that Windows cannot run CHKDSK with access denied error. After the problem is resolved, it is recommended that you use AOMEI Backupper Standard to back up your Windows files regularly. By doing so, if similar problems arise in the future, you can quickly restore these backup files to prevent any potential loss.

This tool is a free and professional Windows backup and recovery tool. It can easily create file backup, disk backup, partition backup, and system backup on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP to cloud, NAS devices, external hard drives, etc. It also has the following advantages:

🍄 Auto backup: You can set different backup frequencies to backup your Windows data regularly, such as Daily/Weekly/Monthly/USB plug in/Event triggers.
🍄 Incremental backup: When you perform the scheduled backup, the freeware will run the backup task with the incremental backup to improve backup efficiency and save disk space.
🍄 Provide security protection for Windows system: For the sake of system security, it is recommended that you copy Windows to bootable USB or CD/DVD for safe booting in case of system failure.

Download and install this Windows free backup software, and then follow the graphic tutorial below. If you're a Windows Server user, consider using AOMEI Backupper Server.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper Standard, select Backup on the left and choose the File Backup option.

Step 2. Opt for Add Folder or Add File to select the folders or files you want to back up.

Step 3. Select the target destination path for your backup image, and hit Start Backup.

Other features for you to customize backup settings:

Options: This includes backup comments, backup compression, backup split, and email notifications, and it offers backup encryption after upgrading to the professional version.

Schedule Backup: It allows you to set up scheduled backup at a needed mode in daily, weekly, monthly, and so on.

Backup Scheme: It includes backup methods and automatic backup cleanup functions. You can choose between full backup, incremental backup and differential backup. However, it's important to note that differential backup and cleanup require an upgrade to professional version to be accessible.

Conclusion

If you come across CHKDSK access denied on Windows 7/8/10/11, don’t worry. Try the 6 methods on this page, and they will help you fix this issue effortlessly. It's essential to be aware that these methods are not foolproof, and some of them may lead to data loss on the disk. For this reason, we strongly recommend using AOMEI Backupper Standard for file backup, preventing data loss.

This all-in-one software has a simple and easy-to-use interface, allowing you to easily back up your files to any location you want to keep your data safe. Besides, it also provides you with other features that you may be interested in, such as Disk Clone to upgrade to larger hard drive, Basic Sync to transfer files from one location to another, etc., to protect your computer data in all aspects.