In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the “It looks like you don’t have permission to save changes to this file” error. Windows comes with a built-in Photos app that is preloaded with basic editing capabilities. Rotate, Markup, Light and Color Adjustment, and a few filters are its noteworthy features. Once you are done editing the image, you could save it on top of your current image or save it as a copy, thereby retaining the original image. However, it is proving to be easier said than done.
Various users have voiced their concern that whenever they are trying to save an image, they are instead being greeted with the following error message- “Try saving a copy instead. It looks as though you don’t have permission to save changes to this file.” Even if they save it as a copy, they are still getting the same error message. As a result, they are unable to save their edited image. If you are also in the same boat, then this guide shall help you out. Follow along for the fixes.
Table of Contents
Fix “It looks like you don’t have permission to save changes to this file”
Before starting, we would recommend you take a backup of the edited picture by taking the screengrab via the Print Screen key or a snippet via the Snippet Tool [Windows+Shift+S]. While this image might not have the original image quality/resolution, but you will have something to look up to in case things don’t work out [after all, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush!].
FIX 1: Run the App as Admin
As is evident from the error message, the app isn’t able to get the required level of permission set to function. Therefore, you should run the app with elevated permission, using the instructions given below-
- To begin with, right-click on the photo viewer app of your choice and select Properties.
- Then go to the Compatibility tab and checkmark Run this program as an administrator.
- Now click OK to save changes. Then launch the app and you will get a UAC pop-up, click YES.
- Check if it fixes the “It looks as though you don’t have permission to save changes to this file” error.
FIX 2: Save Picture in a Different Folder
There are some system-level folders that are restricted from being accessed, let alone by third-party apps, even the admin might not be able to access them [unless the ownership is transferred]. Therefore, to avoid that from happening, it is recommended that you save the file to a directory that isn’t related to the OS [any drive other than C will do]. So try changing the file saving directory and then check if it fixes the “It looks as though you don’t have permission to save changes to this file” error.
FIX 3: Unblock the Picture
Windows blocks the file from being edited if it came from another computer or an untrusted online source. So before you could make any modifications to it, you will first have to unblock that image. Here’s how it could be done-
- To begin with, right-click on that image and select Properties.
- Then under the General tab, next to Security, you will see the following message
This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer
- Just click on Unblock and hit OK to save the changes.
- Now check if it fixes the “It looks as though you don’t have permission to save changes to this file” error.
FIX 4: Use SFC and DISM Commands
System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management are two command-line utility tools that scan for corrupt Windows files and then replace them with their working counterpart. The major difference between the two is whereas the SFC replaces the corrupt files with the working ones from the cached directory on your PC, DISM does so by downloading the working files from the online Microsoft servers. And as of now, we would be making use of both these tools to fix the underlying issue.
- Head over to the Start Menu, search Command Prompt, and launch it as an administrator.
- Then copy-paste the below command to open the SFC Tool:
sfc /scannow
- Once the SFC Scanning is complete, it’s time to use the DISM Tool. So copy-paste the below command:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Once DISM finishes the scanning, it is recommended to reboot your PC.
- Check if it fixes the “It looks as though you don’t have permission to save changes to this file” error.
FIX 5: Repair/Reset App
If none of the aforementioned methods spelled out success for you, then it might be the case that something might be wrong from the app’s end itself [and not the image]. To verify and hence rectify it, we will first repair the app and if it doesn’t work out, we will then take the nuclear route of resetting the app. However, carrying out both these tweaks might result in the closing of the app and you might end up losing your unsaved work. So as mentioned before, take a screengrab/snippet of it beforehand.
- Search for the Photos app from the Start menu and click on App Settings.
- Then scroll down and click on Repair. Wait for the process to complete.
- Once done, verify if it fixes the underlying issue. If it doesn’t, then click on Reset.
- Once the reset is complete, you wouldn’t face any issues while saving the file.
That’s it. These were the five different methods to fix the “It looks as though you don’t have permission to save changes to this file” error. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
