All folders are marked read only.

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right click on C:\ OS drive

at top select change ownership

check box on top «replace owner on subcontainers and objects

click on APPLY on bottom and OK

go back to security tab>advanced and make sure the ADMINISTRATORS in the list have FULL CONTROL

Now you should have no problems, if you do, there is one more thing to do.

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right click on C:\ OS drive

at top select change ownership

check box on top «replace owner on subcontainers and objects

click on APPLY on bottom and OK

go back to security tab>advanced and make sure the ADMINISTRATORS in the list have FULL CONTROL

Now you should have no problems, if you do, there is one more thing to do.

5 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

right click on C:\ OS drive

at top select change ownership

check box on top «replace owner on subcontainers and objects

click on APPLY on bottom and OK

go back to security tab>advanced and make sure the ADMINISTRATORS in the list have FULL CONTROL

Now you should have no problems, if you do, there is one more thing to do.

I tried this step but it still would not change the folder situation. The Administrators was a Full Control

open windows defender>virus and protection settings>scroll down to folder control access and turn OFF and leave OFF. it is useless and causes these types of issues.

35 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

right click on C:\ OS drive

at top select change ownership

check box on top «replace owner on subcontainers and objects

click on APPLY on bottom and OK

go back to security tab>advanced and make sure the ADMINISTRATORS in the list have FULL CONTROL

Now you should have no problems, if you do, there is one more thing to do.

I tried this step but it still would not change the folder situation. The Administrators was a Full Control

open windows defender>virus and protection settings>scroll down to folder control access and turn OFF and leave OFF. it is useless and causes these types of issues.

could not find virus and protection settings in Defender. Defender is running though. is there a way to turn off defender if so could that help

How to Fix Folder Keeps Reverting to Read Only on Windows 10

If your folder keeps reverting to read-only it could be due to a recent Windows 10 upgrade. Many users have reported that when upgraded their system to Windows 10, they encountered this error. Read-only is a file/folder attribute which lets only a specific group of users read or edit the files or folder. This can get really infuriating, however, the fix is quite simple and easy but may differ depending on the scenario that caused it.

Generally, when you encounter such an issue, you can easily overcome it by unchecking the read-only attribute box found in the properties of the file/folder. However, this case is not that simple. You won’t be able to change the read-only attribute of the file/folder which gets annoying. Nevertheless, this article will teach you how to access your files/folders again — just follow through the instructions.

What causes the folder to revert to read-only on Windows 10?

This might be happening to you due to various reasons, nonetheless, the most generic ones are —

• Windows upgrade. If you’ve recently upgraded your system to Windows 10, this might be occurring due to that as your account permissions may have been altered.
• Account permissions. Sometimes, the error could be simply because of your account permissions which is the most common cause without you realizing it.

The possible and effective solutions for this problem are: –

Solution 1: Disabling Controlled Access

Before we try other technical solutions, we will first try to disable the Controlled Folder Access in your settings. This is a hotfix and you may proceed with other solutions if this doesn’t work for you.

1. Press and hold the “Windows Key + I” button to launch Windows Settings.
2. Once the Settings are opened, navigate to Update & Security and then click on Windows Security.
3. Now, under the Virus & threat protection settings, click on Manage settings. Virus & threat protection settings
4. Under Controlled folder access, select Manage Controlled folder access and switch the access to Off. Manage Controlled folder access to Off
5. Restart your computer completely and then check if the issue is resolved.

Solution 2: Login as an Administrator

To start off with the common mistake, if you have created multiple accounts on your system, make sure you are signed in as an administrator while accessing the file. The reason you are not able to read or edit the file/folder could be that the file/folder was created using an administrator account and you are trying to access it using a guest account or any other. Hence, before you move into the solutions mentioned below, make sure you are using the administrative account.

Solution 3: Changing the Attribute of the Folder

If you are logged in as an administrator and still unable to access the files, then in such a case, you’ll have to change the attribute of the file using the command prompt. To do this, follow the given instructions:

1. Press Winkey + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the list.
2. In order to remove the read-only attribute and set a new attribute, use the following command: Enter the command to remove Read-only Attribute

1. The above command will remove the read-only attribute of the file and change it to a system attribute. However, some files/folders do not operate properly in the system attribute so use the following command if you want to remove the system attribute:

Solution 4: Changing Permissions of the Drive

If you are facing this issue after upgrading your system to Windows 10, then changing the permissions of the drive could fix your problem. There have been several reports according to which the issue has been solved via this method. Here’s how to do it:

1. Right-click on the drive where your files/folders are located.
2. Select Properties.
3. Navigate to the Security tab. Local Disk Properties (Security)
4. Click Advanced and then select Change permissions. Select change permissions
5. Highlight your user and then click Edit. Highlight your user and click Edit
6. Select This folder, subfolders and files from the drop-down list.
7. Check the Full Control box under Basic Permissions. Check the Full Control Box
8. Click OK.

If you have more than one account on the system, then you’ll have to enable inheritance first. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to your System drive (where your Windows is installed).
2. Go to the Users folder.
3. Right-click on your username and click Properties.
4. In the Security tab, click Advanced.
5. Hit Enable Inheritance. Highlight your user and click Enable Inheritance

Solution 5: Disabling your Third-party antivirus

If the error persists whenever your system restarts, it could be due to your third-party antivirus software. Your antivirus might be detecting the files as a threat and consequently, stopping you from accessing them. In such a case, you’ll have to disable your antivirus software, change the attributes of the files/folders as mentioned above and restart your system to see if the files/folders still revert to read-only. If they don’t, this means your antivirus is causing the issue and you should probably uninstall it.

All my files and folders have become read-only and cannot be changed.

All of a sudden all my files have become read-only. I discovered the problem when trying to rotate a picture in photo gallery or through exploere. I received the message «Couldn’t rotate . it might be read-only or in a location that is unavailable» OR «You cannot rotate this image. The file might be in use or open in another program, or the file or folder might be read-only». I have checked the permissions and the read-only box is ticked, but if I untick this and apply (to either the file or folder) then it does its business but automatically defaults back to read-only. I have run a virus scan (Kaspersky) and ran Malwarebytes and both are clean.

Please can someone help me.

Welcome to the Microsoft Answers Community. Let’s try a couple of different things:

1. Right-click the file or folder, and then click Properties .

2. Click the Security tab.

3. Click a user name or group under Group or user names .

The permissions for the selected user or group are shown in the lower portion of the properties dialog box.

To view or to remove the Read-only or the System attributes of folders in Windows Vista or Windows 7

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER..

2. To view the syntax for the Attrib command, type attrib /? at the command prompt.

To remove the Read-only attribute and to set the System attribute, use the following command:

attrib -r +s drive:\

For example, to remove the Read-only attribute and to set the System attribute for the C:\Test folder, use the following command:

attrib -r +s c:\test

Be aware that some programs may not operate correctly with folders for which the System attribute and the Read-only attribute are set. Therefore, use the following command to remove these attributes:

attrib -r -s drive:\

For example, to remove both the Read-only and the System attributes from the C:\Test folder, use the following command:

attrib -r -s c:\test

If the Run command is not listed on the Start menu, do the following:

Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Run.

Please let me know if you continue to experience the problem. *more information is included in KB 326549

Lisa
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

8.1 x64 — ALL files become read-only — cannot modify files.

Windows 8.1 x64, AMD Phenom X3 2.3GHz, ASUS M4A785M,
Radeon 5450, 4GB Crucial PC2-6400, 111GB Mushkin Chronos SSD

File Sharing for MS Networks is always turned off. DEP is enabled only for essential Windows programs. Protection is on for the system volume (C:) and off for the data volume (D:). Avast! free anti-virus and Malwarebytes (free) show no infections or problems. I am not aware of any previous infestation.

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To attempt to fix this, I have temporarily enabled Sharing on the data volume (D:). I’m considering disconnecting the network adapter from the Internet and turning on File Sharing for MS Networks to try to get rid of «read-only everywhere.»

Without warning or explanation, why or what for, volume D: becomes read-only, except for the Recycle Bin. I cannot modify my personal files or any files.

From the top of the D: volume directory hierarchy to the bottom, the «Read-only» circle is filled, and it stays filled, whatever I do. I uncheck «Read-only» for volume D: or any folder or file on D:, but without success. When I click «Apply» or «OK», the «Read-only» circle is filled again.

I grant «Full Control» to Users and Authenticated Users, just as SYSTEM and Administrators have. I disable (and enable again) inheritances to subfolders and files, which remain read-only regardless.

At this time, for the moment, I can modify files in «My Documents» on the data volume (D:), but not files in other folders.

Windows operates normally, even though the system volume (C:) is almost all read-only. On C:, Bootmgr and all folders, including $RECYCLE.BIN, are read-only. «Read-only» is unchecked only for BOOTNXT, Log.txt, pagefile.sys, and swapfile.sys.

Being unable to change or modify files on my data volume (D:) has me at a standstill.

Thank you for any help you have to offer.
____________________________

Now when I uncheck the read-only attribute for each folder on D:, I can modify the files in that folder, even though the read-only attribute for the folder still appears to be on. I have no idea what I changed that made modifying the files possible. Volume D: is now completely unlocked for modifying and saving files. [But see my next post: 80 minutes later, D: is locked up again.]

I didn’t touch the Registry. BTW, in File Explorer, the preview pane is off. Might it be relevant that there are icons on the desktop for some of the folders on volume D:?

Because the Microsoft firewall is on, and File Sharing for MS Networks is off, I don’t THINK there is a prankster intruder trespassing in my PC. I suppose that is possible, but there’s not much on my 111 GB SSD to interest a hacker — no SSN, no credit card numbers, no password list, no love letters.

The randomness of this on-again, off-again read-only locking of my own files and documents is maddening. I never know when I begin editing a file whether I will be able to save it or not. It’s similar to writing a «dissertation» ;^) on a forum and clicking save, only to find out that the forum has timed out or logged me out. But I suppose it’s not random at all. I just don’t know what I changed. When I find out, it will no longer seem random, but perfectly orderly.
__________________________________

1 hour and 20 minutes later.

Locked out again. Cannot save files.

Created a new folder; it is read-only for its files from the outset.

Copied files to the new folder. Cannot save any modified files.

I don’t dare plug in a USB thumb drive, lest this configuration migrate to it and make it unusable.

I am virtually locked out of my own computer. It was not like this a few months ago.

If there is a specific Windows Update which caused this, please allow us to remove or disable it.
______________________________

Except for my browser, my home PC is virtually a read-only brick.
I feel a migraine coming on. I haven’t had migraines for many years.

Using Command Prompt (Administrator), I have executed «attrib -r» for each of my directories on my data volume D:. But I don’t expect read-only to stay off. We’ll see how long it takes for that to be overridden and made read-only again.