
You can modify the access control entry to assign your user account full control permissions for System Volume Information and its subfolders and files:įirst, you need to change ownership of those files individually - using Takeown.exe or via File Explorer.įrom an admin Command Prompt window, run the following commands: But, if you need to do that, follow the steps below:) There are hundreds or thousands of files in the SVI folder, and you don’t want to mess up their permissions. If you want to manage the SVI folder using GUI, you may use a third-party tool like File Commander or Total Commander (run as SYSTEM) Option 2: Take ownership & assign full access to your account Note that you can’t run File Explorer under the LocalSystem account. This option is preferred as there is no need to modify the folder permissions or access control entries (ACE or ACL) and later revert to the default. It lets you view, modify or delete the contents of System Volume Information.įor more information, see the article How to Run a Program as SYSTEM (LocalSystem) Account in Windows Using Microsoft’s PsExec.exe utility or other third-party tools, you can start a Command Prompt session under the SYSTEM account. However, you can gain access to the System Volume Information folder using two methods: Option 1: Run Command Prompt under the SYSTEM account No other user or group can view the contents of this directory. Only the SYSTEM account has full access to the SVI folder by default. How to gain access to System Volume Information

If you need to get into the folder to check its contents, see the next paragraph. System Volume Information is not accessible. By default, only the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account (“LocalSystem”) has access (Full control) to the folder and its subfolders.Įven if you’re logged in as an administrator, you’ll see the following error message when accessing the folder: Location is not available The System Volume Information folder is restricted using NTFS permissions. Why is System Volume Information not accessible? In addition, SVI stores metadata and information used by Windows Backup, System Image Backup, Volume Shadow Copy service, and Windows Search indexing. It’s also used by Windows Information Protection (WIP), formerly known as enterprise data protection (EDP), to store the encryption keys. However, it’s not only used by the System Restore feature. System Volume Information (SVI) is the datastore folder used by the System Restore feature.

Why is the folder not visible in Explorer?.How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder?.What is the System Volume Information folder?.
