Windows 11 folder keeps reverting back to read only

Anonymous
2023-06-04T05:25:55+00:00

I have tried CMD checks and fixes. Done a clean boot. Have installed take ownership plug-in. Changed controlled folder access which was set to off. I have replaced the folder with a newly created one and copied the files back into the new one and it has the same issue as the old folder. The folder that is affected is C:\Users\USER\Appdata\Roaming\Vortex\downloads.

I need this folder to not be read only as Vortex cannot function with the folder permissions as they are.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-03-25T05:30:27+00:00

    Given that the folder was located at the second level within the directory structure (F:\2024_1024_backup\1_photo), is it reasonable to exclude a long path as a potential cause of the issue?

    Yes. If the total path length is 260 characters or less, it's not a long path issue.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-03-25T04:06:40+00:00

    To confirm, the removable disk is a 5TB USB drive formatted with NTFS. I did try resetting the folder's owner and permissions via the Security tab in its properties, but the deletion problem persisted.

    If the folder was down many levels it could be a long path issue. If you encounter this issue again, try using the 7-Zip file manager to delete the folder. It will handle long paths and odd names that Explorer cannot deal with.

    Also try using SetACL to reset the owner and permissions. The easiest way to do that would be to use the "Take ownership and get access" option in my free Right-Click Tools app. It calls the SetACL program to reset the permissions.

    And if none of that helps, take a screenshot of the error and post here or other help forums such as elevenforum.com.

    Given that the folder was located at the second level within the directory structure (F:\2024_1024_backup\1_photo), is it reasonable to exclude a long path as a potential cause of the issue?

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  3. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-03-25T03:51:15+00:00

    To confirm, the removable disk is a 5TB USB drive formatted with NTFS. I did try resetting the folder's owner and permissions via the Security tab in its properties, but the deletion problem persisted.

    If the folder was down many levels it could be a long path issue. If you encounter this issue again, try using the 7-Zip file manager to delete the folder. It will handle long paths and odd names that Explorer cannot deal with.

    Also try using SetACL to reset the owner and permissions. The easiest way to do that would be to use the "Take ownership and get access" option in my free Right-Click Tools app. It calls the SetACL program to reset the permissions.

    And if none of that helps, take a screenshot of the error and post here or other help forums such as elevenforum.com.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-03-25T02:29:17+00:00

    In my case, the folder resided on a removable USB disk.

    Step 1: I connected the disk to PC1 (Windows 10) and attempted to delete the folder immediately, without performing any other operations. The deletion failed, suggesting an open handle was unlikely.

    Step 2: I repeated the deletion attempt on PC2 (Windows 11), again without performing any prior operations. This also failed, demonstrating that even a different Windows OS could not resolve the issue.

    Step 3: Following ChatGPT's advice, I connected the disk to PC3 (Linux Ubuntu). The folder was deleted successfully.

    Based on this sequence, I suspect a software bug in Windows 10 and 11 may be responsible for the deletion failure, rather than an open handle issue.

    It sounds like the USB stick was formatted NTFS and there was an issue with the ACLs. Did you try resetting the owner and permissions via the folder properties Security tab?

    To confirm, the removable disk is a 5TB USB drive formatted with NTFS. I did try resetting the folder's owner and permissions via the Security tab in its properties, but the deletion problem persisted.

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  5. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-03-25T02:17:55+00:00

    In my case, the folder resided on a removable USB disk.

    Step 1: I connected the disk to PC1 (Windows 10) and attempted to delete the folder immediately, without performing any other operations. The deletion failed, suggesting an open handle was unlikely.

    Step 2: I repeated the deletion attempt on PC2 (Windows 11), again without performing any prior operations. This also failed, demonstrating that even a different Windows OS could not resolve the issue.

    Step 3: Following ChatGPT's advice, I connected the disk to PC3 (Linux Ubuntu). The folder was deleted successfully.

    Based on this sequence, I suspect a software bug in Windows 10 and 11 may be responsible for the deletion failure, rather than an open handle issue.

    It sounds like the USB stick was formatted NTFS and there was an issue with the ACLs. Did you try resetting the owner and permissions via the folder properties Security tab?

    Another possibility is that the folder had a very long path or a name with a special character (even a trailing space can be an issue). Such folders can fail to delete using Explorer but can be deleted with other tools such as the 7-Zip File Manager.

    What error message was displayed when you tried to delete it?

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