Are you looking to fix folder that keeps reverting to read only issue on Windows 10? If your answer is yes, read till the end to learn about various tricks to help solve this issue.

What is a Read-only feature?

Read-only is a file/folder attribute that allows only a specific group of users to edit these files and folders. This feature prevents others from editing these read-only files/folders without your explicit permission allowing them to do so. You may choose to keep certain files in system mode & others in read-only mode, as per your requirement. You can enable/disable this feature whenever you want.

Unfortunately, several users reported that when they upgraded to Windows 10, their files and folders keep reverting to read-only.

Why do folders keep reverting to Read only permission on Windows 10?

The most generic reasons for this issue are as follows:

  1. Windows upgrade: If the computer Operating System was recently upgraded to Windows 10, your account permissions might have been altered, thus, causing the said issue.

  2. Account Permissions: The error could be because of account permissions that have changed without your knowledge.

How to Fix Folders keep Reverting to Read Only on Windows 10

Method 1: Disable Controlled Folder Access

Follow these steps to disable Controlled Folder Access, which may be causing this issue.

Contents

  • How to Fix Folders keep Reverting to Read Only on Windows 10
  • Method 1: Disable Controlled Folder Access
  • Method 2: Login as Administrator
  • Method 3: Change Folder Attribute
  • Method 4: Change Drive Permissions
  • Method 5: Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software
  • Method 6: Run SFC and DSIM Scans

  1. Search for Windows Security in the search bar. Open it by clicking on it.

  2. Next, click on Virus and Threat Protection from the left pane.

  3. From the right side of the screen, select Manage Settings displayed under Virus and threat protection settings section as depicted below.

  4. Under the Controlled folder access section, click on Manage Controlled folder access.

5. Here, switch the access to Off.

  1. Restart your computer.

Open the folder you were trying to access previously and check if you can open and edit the folder. If you can’t, then try the next method.

Also Read: How to Create a System Restore Point in Windows 10

Method 2: Login as Administrator

If multiple user accounts have been created on your computer you will need to sign in as an administrator and as a guest. This will enable you to access all files or folders & make any changes as you please. Follow these steps to do so:

  1. Search for Command Prompt in the search bar. In the search results, right-click on it and choose Run as administrator.

  2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and hit Enter: 

net user administrator /active:yes

  1. Once the command has been executed successfully, you will be logged in with the administrator account, by default.

Now, try to access the folder and see if the solution helped fix the folder keeps reverting to read only on Windows 10 issue.

Method 3: Change Folder Attribute

If you have logged in as an administrator and are still unable to access certain files, the file or folder attribute is to blame. Follow these steps to remove the read-only attribute from the folder command line using Command Prompt:

  1. Launch Command Prompt with administrator privileges, as instructed in the previous method.

  2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and hit Enter:

attrib -r +s drive:<path><foldername>

For example, the command will look like this for a particular file called Test.txt:

attrib -r +s C:\Users\Vik\Pictures\New folder\Test.txt

  1. After the command has been executed successfully, the read-only attribute of the file will change to a system attribute.

  2. Access the file to check if the file keeps reverting to read-only on Windows 10 issue has been resolved.

  3. If the file or the folder for which you have changed the attribute does not function properly, remove the system attribute by typing the following into Command Prompt & hitting Enter thereafter:

attrib -r -s drive:<path><foldername

  1. This will revert back all the changes made in Step 2.

If removing the read-only attribute from the folder command line didn’t help, try modifying drive permissions as explained in the next method.

Also Read: Fix Desktop Background Changes Automatically in Windows 10

Method 4: Change Drive Permissions

If you are experiencing such difficulties after upgrading to Windows 10 OS, then you can change drive permissions which will most likely fix the folder that keeps reverting to the read-only issue.

  1. Right-click on the file or folder that keeps reverting to read-only. Then, select Properties.

  2. Next, click on the Security tab. Select your username and then click on Edit as shown below.

  3. In the new window that pops up titled Permissions for , check the box next to Full control to grant permission to view, modify & write the said file/folder.

  4. Click on OK to save these settings.

How to Enable Inheritance

If there is more than one user account created on the system, you will need to enable inheritance by following these steps:

  1. Go to C drive, where Windows is installed.

  2. Next, open the Users folder.

  3. Now, right-click on your username and then, select Properties.

  4. Navigate to the Security tab, then click on Advanced.

  5. Lastly, click on Enable Inheritance.

Enabling this setting will allow other users access to the files and folders on your computer. If you can’t remove read-only from a folder in your Windows 10 laptop, try the succeeding methods.

Method 5: Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software

Third-party antivirus software might detect files on the computer as a threat, every time you restart your PC. This may be why the folders keep reverting to read-only. To fix this issue, you need to disable third-party antivirus installed on your system:

  1. Click on the antivirus icon and then go to Settings.

  2. Disable the antivirus software.

  3. Now, follow any of the above-mentioned methods and then, restart your computer.

Check if the files or folders are reverting to read-only even now.

Method 6: Run SFC and DSIM Scans

If there are any corrupt files on the system, you need to run SFC and DSIM scans to check and repair such files. Follow the steps given below to run the scans:

  1. Search Command Prompt to run as administrator.

  2. Next, run the SFC command by typing sfc /scannow in the Command Prompt window en, pressing the Enter key.

  3. Once the scan is complete, run the DISM scan as explained in the next step.

  4. Now, copy-paste the following three commands one-by-one into Command Prompt and press the Enter key each time, to execute these:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

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We hope that this guide was helpful and you were able to fix folder that keeps reverting to read only on Windows 10 issue. If you have any queries/comments regarding this article, then feel free to drop them in the comments section.