"Access Denied" Error Message When Users Try to Access Shared Folders

When users try to access shared folders, they may receive the following error message:

This issue may occur if users do not have the Bypass Traverse Checking Right to the parent folders of the shared resource. Users must have this right to open folders, and then to access the files or folders that are in those folders.

To resolve this issue, enable the Bypass Traverse Checking user right. To do so, follow these steps.

Warning If the Bypass Traverse Checking user right is enabled, users can traverse folders even if they do not have permissions to the traversed folders. This right does not allow users to list the contents of the folders. Bypass Traverse Checking is an advanced user right.

1. On the computer on which the inaccessible share is located, start Windows Explorer.
2. Open, and then right-click the shared resource's parent folder that is located directly in the root of the drive, and then click Properties. For example, if you have the following folder structure: C:\Multimedia\Music\Baroque, where the Baroque folder is the shared resource, click the Multimedia folder.
3. Click the Security tab, and then click Advanced.
4. Click to select the Reset permissions on all Child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions check box.
5. Under Permission Entries, click the user or the group which experiences the issue that is listed in the Symptoms section of this article, and then click View/Edit.
6. Click to select the check box that is located in the Allow column, to the right of the Traverse Folder / Execute File option. If the check box that is in the Deny column is selected, click to clear it.
7. Click OK three times.