If you see This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer while accessing Drives, Printer, Outlook, Excel, Office, etc., follow these solutions to get rid of it. Here are two different ways to troubleshoot this security issue that sometimes appears on Windows 11/10 computers.
The entire error message says-
This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.
Basically, if a system administrator has placed some restrictions on carrying out any operation, you will see this error box when you try to carry out those operations. If you are the admin on your PC, it could well be some security software that has placed this restriction.
If you see this message here are a few things you could try. Now there is no single one-size-fits-all solution to this problem that anyone can offer you.
This post only gives you a direction to work. You need to see when the message appears and then check what applies to your system and which works for you.
Whichever accounts you are using on Windows, you can see this error message on your screen while opening a Drive in This PC. If it happens with C or the System drive, you won’t be able to save any files 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 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-
- Search gpedit.msc in the Taskbar search box.
- Click on the Edit group policy.
- Navigate to File Explorer in the User Configuration.
- Double click on Prevent access to drives from My Computer.
- Select Not Configured.
- 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-
- Press Win+R to open the Run prompt.
- Type regedit and hit the Enter button.
- Click the Yes button in the UAC prompt.
- Navigate to Explorer in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
- Right-click on NoViewOnDrive and select Delete.
- 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_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
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.
Other troubleshooting suggestions
1] Reset Advanced Internet Settings
If you receive a message This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer or Your organization’s policies are preventing us from completing this action for you when you click a hyperlink in Microsoft Outlook, you could reset Internet Options to default.
2] Reset default programs for Outlook and Edge
You could also reset default programs for Outlook and Edge
Related: Your organization’s policies are preventing us from completing this action for you.
2] Check Group Policy settings
Run gpedit.msc to open the Group Policy Editor and navigate to the following setting:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates
Here you will see Policy settings for Control Panel, Desktop, Network, Shared Folders, Start Menu, System and more. If you receive this message when you open any elements, you may have to check the settings here and find out if any of them have been Configured.
For instance, if you receive this message when you try to open the Command Prompt or Registry, you will have to disable the Prevent access to the command prompt and Prevent access to registry editing tools settings respectively.
Of course, you must be signed in as an administrator, and your Windows version must have shipped with GPEDIT.
3] Reset all Group Policy settings
If you made no changes or did not remember making any, what you will have to do is identify the Registry or Group Policy setting which affects you and change it. Maybe even reset all Group Policy settings to default,
4] Reset Windows Security settings
Reset Windows Security settings to default values and see if that works for you. If it does not, you should go back to the created restore point.
5] Troubleshoot further
You may want to also take a look at this post – Some settings are managed by your organization.
Do share your specific instances and how you managed to resolve the issue for the benefit of others.
