Failed to move files from the D drive to Local Disk C due to the error: "Failed to build the list of regular subdirectories under 'd:\system volume information'. access is denied."

Question

Failed to move files from the D drive to Local Disk C due to the error: "Failed to build the list of regular subdirectories under 'd:\system volume information'. access is denied."

Nana Na 40

I’m having trouble moving files back to Local Disk C. Initially, I wanted to move my downloaded files to the D drive to free up space on Local Disk C. I followed a YouTube tutorial that said I could move them directly to the D drive without creating a new folder for the files. However, I ran into a problem when I tried to move them back to Local Disk C. I hope you can help me resolve this. Thank you. Screenshot 2026-08-28 061409

Screenshot 2026-08-28 061425

Screenshot 2026-08-28 061442

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Answer accepted by question author

Marcin Policht 107K MVP Volunteer Moderator

The error occurs because you are trying to move the contents of the D: drive back to C: as if the entire D: drive were your Downloads folder. The folder “D:\System Volume Information” is a protected Windows system folder. It is intentionally inaccessible to normal users, so Robocopy, File Explorer, or another copy/move operation that scans the entire D: drive can report “Access is denied.” You should not change the permissions on System Volume Information or try to move or delete that folder.

The likely issue is that the Downloads folder was redirected directly to the root of D:, rather than to something such as “D:\Downloads.” When that happens, Windows treats the root of D: as the Downloads folder. Consequently, when you try to move the Downloads contents back to C:, Windows or a copying utility can encounter other folders on D:, including protected system folders.

First, check where Windows currently thinks your Downloads folder is located. In File Explorer, right-click Downloads under your user profile, select Properties, and open the Location tab. If it shows something like “D:\” rather than “D:\Downloads,” that explains the problem. The safer configuration is to have Downloads located at “C:\Users<your-name>\Downloads” or, if you want it on D:, “D:\Downloads.”

If you want to put Downloads back on C:, use the Location tab and select “Restore Default.” It should change the location to “C:\Users<your-name>\Downloads.” Click Apply. Windows may ask whether you want to move the files from the old location to the new location. If it does, allow the move, but make sure you are moving only your Downloads files, not the entire D: drive.

If Windows refuses to move them because of the System Volume Information error, do not take ownership of that folder. Instead, create a temporary folder such as “C:\TempDownloads” and manually copy only your personal downloaded files and folders from D: into it. Do not copy folders such as “System Volume Information,” “$RECYCLE.BIN,” or other Windows/system-created folders. Once your personal files are safely copied, you can set Downloads back to its default location and then move the files into “C:\Users<your-name>\Downloads.”

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hth

Marcin

Nana Na 40 Reputation points

2026-08-28T00:12:46.6066667+00:00

First of all, I’d like to thank you for the advice and troubleshooting steps you provided.

To be honest, I didn't expect my downloaded files to merge with the data on the D drive; I thought they would remain separate, allowing me to move them directly to the C drive. So, essentially, I have to manually move the downloaded files back to their original location, right? To be fair, I don't really remember exactly which files were in my downloads folder.

But that’s fine if that’s simply how the system works. Thanks again.

1 additional answer

Your answer

Nana Na 40 Reputation points

2026-08-28T00:12:46.6066667+00:00

First of all, I’d like to thank you for the advice and troubleshooting steps you provided.

To be honest, I didn't expect my downloaded files to merge with the data on the D drive; I thought they would remain separate, allowing me to move them directly to the C drive. So, essentially, I have to manually move the downloaded files back to their original location, right? To be fair, I don't really remember exactly which files were in my downloads folder.

But that’s fine if that’s simply how the system works. Thanks again.

Answer 1

This happens because the Downloads folder was moved to the root of *D:* instead of to a normal folder such as D:\Downloads. When Windows tries to move it back, it scans the whole drive and hits protected folders like D:\System Volume Information, which causes the access denied error.

Use this fix:

Open File Explorer.
Open **D:**.
Create a new folder named Downloads.
Move the downloaded files that belong in Downloads from the root of *D:* into D:\Downloads.
Right-click Downloads in File Explorer and select Properties.
Open the Location tab.
Select Restore Default so the path becomes: C:\Users\ASUS\Downloads
Select Apply.
If prompted to create the folder in the new location, select Yes.
When asked whether to move all files from the old location, select No.

After that, the Downloads folder should point back to C:\Users\ASUS\Downloads. Then files can be moved manually from D:\Downloads to C:\Users\ASUS\Downloads if needed.

If the Location tab still does not work, use the registry workaround carefully. Incorrect registry changes can cause system problems.

Press Win + R, type regedit.exe, and press Enter.
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
Find the Downloads entry: {374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}
Set its value to: %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
Sign out and sign back in, or restart the PC.

That restores the default Downloads folder location.

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