ERRORACCESSDENIED

ERRORACCESSDENIED is the informal name for the Windows error commonly known as ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED. This Win32 error code has the numeric value 5 and indicates that the caller does not have sufficient privileges to perform the requested operation. In the Windows API, the condition is often surfaced as the Win32 error 5 or as the corresponding HRESULT 0x80070005, which is also defined as E_ACCESSDENIED.

Causes of this error include attempting to read or write a file, folder, or registry key for which the user lacks permissions, performing actions that require elevated rights under User Account Control (UAC), or operations blocked by access control lists (ACLs) on resources owned by another user or by the system. It can also occur when a resource is in use by another process or when network authentication fails for a shared resource.

Common contexts where ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED appears include file input/output, registry access, service management, and network shares where the authenticated user lacks the necessary rights. Applications may report the error to the user, log it, or translate it into a user-friendly message.

Resolution typically involves validating and adjusting permissions. This may include running the operation with administrative privileges, taking ownership of the resource, or modifying ACLs with tools such as Security properties, icacls, or takeown. For registry keys, ensure correct key permissions; for network resources, verify credentials and share permissions. In code, request appropriate rights and implement proper error handling to respond gracefully when access is denied.