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CMD-ACCESS-DENIED

Command Prompt "Access is denied" in Command Prompt Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11

What it means

The command you ran needs administrator privileges that the current Command Prompt window doesn't have.

Also seen as: Access is denied.

Quick fix steps

  1. Close the current window and reopen Command Prompt specifically as administrator — right-click it in the Start menu and choose "Run as administrator."
  2. Confirm the User Account Control prompt that appears when reopening it this way.
  3. Repair commands like sfc, chkdsk, and DISM specifically require this elevated access — running them without it is the most common cause of this exact message.
For the full step-by-step walkthrough, see How to Run Command Prompt as Administrator (and Why It Matters).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this mean my account doesn't have admin rights at all?
Not necessarily — even an administrator account needs to explicitly run Command Prompt "as administrator" for certain commands; simply being an admin user isn't automatically the same as running elevated.
Is there a way to always run Command Prompt elevated by default?
Yes, through its shortcut properties (Advanced > Run as administrator), though it's generally better practice to only elevate when a specific command actually needs it.

Other error codes

CMD-NOT-RECOGNIZED — "is not recognized as an internal or external command"

Command Prompt can't find the program or command you typed, usually because of a typo, a missing space, or the program not being in a location Windows searches by default (its PATH).

DISM-SOURCE-FILES-NOT-FOUND — DISM Error: The Source Files Could Not Be Found

DISM couldn't reach Windows Update to download the repair files it needs, or a local source wasn't specified.

CMD-PATH-NOT-FOUND — "The System Cannot Find the Path Specified"

The folder path in your command doesn't exist, or was typed incorrectly.

CMD-FILE-IN-USE — "The Process Cannot Access the File Because It Is Being Used by Another Process"

Another program currently has the file open or locked, preventing the command from modifying or deleting it.