How To Fix “Failed To Enumerate Objects In The Container” Error

If you are facing the “Failed to enumerate objects in the container. Access is denied.” error on Windows, then you are not alone. This error occurs when a user attempts to change permissions on a file/folder but is unable to do so due to insufficient permissions. We have explained the best troubleshooting steps to fix this issue in no time.

Why Does The Error Occurs?

There could be many reasons why this error occurs, we have highlighted the most common ones.

• The user does not have ownership over the folder or file.
• The permissions have been corrupted.
• There could be restrictions from the User Account Control (UAC).

Fix “Failed to enumerate objects in the container. Access is denied.” Error

Fix  1 – Acquire Ownership of the Folder

1. Right-click the folder you’re trying to access.
2. Click Properties in the context menu.

3. Go to the Security tab and click on the Advanced button.

4. Next to Owner, click Change.
5. In the “Select User or Group” window, type your username and click Check Names, then OK.

6. Check the box “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects”.
7. Click Apply and OK.

Also Read – How To Enable/Disable Hidden Administrator Account on Windows 11

Fix 2 –  Change Permission Settings

Follow the first method to take the ownership of the file or folder and then change the permission settings. Here are the steps.

1. Right-click on file/folder and choose Properties.
2. Click on the Security tab again and then click on Edit.
3. Select your user account or click Add to add it.
4. Grant Full control permissions.
5. Click Apply followed by OK.

Fix 3 – Use The Command Prompt

If the above methods do not work, then we suggest you try the following commands.

1. Press Win + R to launch the RUN dialog box.
2. Type “cmd” and press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Command Prompt in elevated mode.
3. Copy and paste the following commands, followed by the Enter key.

takeown /F “C:\Your\Folder\Path” /R /D Y
icacls “C:\Your\Folder\Path” /grant YourUsername: F /T

Fix 4 – Disable UAC Temporarily (Not Recommended Unless Necessary)

Another way of fixing the error is to disable the User Account Control feature.

1.Press Win + R to open the RUN box and type Control.
2. Click on the OK button to open the Control Panel.
3. Next, click on User Accounts > Change User Account Control settings.
4. Move the slider to Never Notify.

5. Click OK and reboot.
6. Re-enable UAC after fixing the issue for security reasons.

Read Also : How to Fix “The User Profile Service failed the sign-in” Error Windows 10/11

Fix 5 – Check For Disk Errors

Some experts believe that disk errors might cause the “Failed to enumerate objects in the container. Access is denied” error. We suggest you check your disk for errors.

1. Open Command Prompt in Admin mode.
2. Copy and paste the below-mentioned command followed by the Enter key.

chkdsk /f /r

3. You may have to restart your PC for this command to execute. After a restart, the errors and their status will be displayed on the desktop screen.

Fix 6 – Run SFC And DISM Scans

You can use the System File Checker (SFC) tool and the Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool (DISM) to repair these files. Here is what you need to do –

1. Press Win + S to open the Search bar.
2. Type cmd or Command Prompt.
3. Right-click on Command Prompt in the search results and select Run as administrator.
4. If prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes.
5. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command:

sfc /scannow

6. Press Enter to execute the command.
7. The System File Checker will start scanning your system for corrupted or missing files.
8. Wait for the scan to finish. The tool will attempt to fix any issues it finds automatically.
9. Reboot your PC to ensure that the changes made take effect.

After the SFC scan completes, run DISM to repair any issues with the system image:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2. If prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

4. Press Enter to execute the command.

5. You will see progress information on the screen as DISM works to repair the system image.
6. Restart your computer to apply any changes.

Bonus Tip – Use Advanced Disk Recovery To Recover Your Lost Files

If you are not able to fix the “Failed to enumerate objects in the container” error and have to format your system, then here is Advanced Disk Recovery that will help you recover your data from a formatted or corrupted hard disk. Here are the steps to use this application –

1. Download & Install Advanced Disk Recovery using the button provided below.

2. Open the app and choose the drive to be scanned.

3. Click on the Start Scan Now Button.
4. Select the Deep Scan option to recover all files and click on Scan Now.

5. Click on the box next to the files you wish to retrieve and click on the Recover button.

6. Specify the folder where you wish to store these recovered files and click on OK.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

We hope that the above fixes have helped you to resolve the issue. We would like to hear about your experience and queries in the comments section below.

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How To Use CHKDSK To Repair/Fix A Hard Drive?
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