This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions while opening drives

If you see This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer while accessing drives in This PC, follow these solutions to get rid of it. Here are two different ways to troubleshoot this security issue that sometimes appears on Windows 10 computers.

The entire error message says-

This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.

Whichever accounts you are using on Windows 10, you can see this error message on your screen while opening a drive in This PC. If it happens with C or system drive, you won’t be able to save any file or navigate to any folder associated with this drive. If you are getting this error message or restriction while accessing an app like Outlook, Word, Excel, etc., it is better to follow that guide. However, this particular tutorial will let you eliminate the error message only if it appears while opening a drive.

There are two ways to fix the issue. First, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor. Second, you can use the Registry Editor. If you use the Registry Editor, don’t forget to backup all Registry files and create a System Restore point.

This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer

To fix This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer, using the Group Policy Editor follow these steps-

1. Search gpedit.msc in the Taskbar search box.
2. Click on the Edit group policy.
3. Navigate to File Explorer in the User Configuration.
4. Double click on Prevent access to drives from My Computer.
5. Select Not Configured.
6. Click Apply and OK.

Let’s check out these steps in detail.

To get started, you will open the Local Group Policy Editor. For that, search for gpedit.msc in the Taskbar search box and click on Edit group policy in the search result. Once opened, navigate to this path-

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer

On your right-hand side, you will see a setting called Prevent access to drives from My Computer. Double-click on it. It must be set to Enabled, and that is why you are getting the error. Select Not Configured, and click the Apply and OK buttons to save the change.

After that, try opening the drive.

This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions while opening drives

To fix This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions while opening drives; follow these steps-

1. Press Win+R to open the Run prompt.
2. Type regedit and hit the Enter button.
3. Click the Yes button in the UAC prompt.
4. Navigate to Explorer in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
5. Right-click on NoViewOnDrive and select Delete.
6. Confirm the removal by clicking the Yes button.

You will have to open the Registry Editor on your computer. Although there are several methods, you can use the Run prompt to do it quickly. For that, press Win+R, type regedit, and hit the Enter button. Next, you will see the UAC prompt where you need to click the Yes button.

After opening the Registry Editor on your computer, navigate to this path-

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer

On your right-hand side, you will get a REG_DWORD value named NoViewOnDrive. Right-click on it and select the Delete option in the context menu. Alternatively, you can choose it and press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Either way, you will find a confirmation window. Click on the Yes button to remove the value from your Registry Editor.

Following that, you can access all the drives without any problem.

That’s all! Hope it helps.