How to Fix D Drive Is Not Accessible on Windows 11/10 in 5 Ways?

Why My Drive Is Not Accessible?

For many users, the hard drive is where important files, programs, or backups are stored, so losing access to it can be frustrating. So, what to do when you see an error message like “Drive is not accessible. Access is denied.” Understanding the root cause is the first step toward fixing it. Common reasons include:

• File system errors: Corruption in the file system may prevent the drive from being accessed.
• Damaged drive partition: Partition loss or corruption can make the drive unreadable.
• Drive letter conflicts: If another device is using the same drive letter, the drive might not open.
• Access permission issues: Insufficient permissions can cause the “drive is not accessible” error.

How to Fix Hard Drive Is Not Accessible?

Now that you know the common reasons behind the D:\ drive is not accessible error, the next step is to fix it. Depending on the various reasons, there are several methods you can try. Let’s go through them to restore access to your hard disk. And to have a quick preview, you can fix this D:\ is not accessible issue by:

• Run a quick error check
• Adjust property settings
• Reassign a drive letter
• Try CMD
• Format the disk drive

1 Run a Quick Error Check

Sometimes the drive becomes inaccessible because of small file system problems, such as corrupted directories or bad sectors. A quick error check lets Windows scan the drive and repair common errors without affecting your data. Below are the steps.

• Locate the drive that shows inaccssible, right-click on it and choose "Properties".
• Click "Tools" at the top. Then click “Check” under Error checking, this will start the scan.
• When prompted, choose “Scan drive” and Windows will begin checking for file system errors.
• After the scan, reboot your PC to check if the drive can be accessed normally.

2 Fix Hard Disk Not Accessible via Adjusting Properties

In most cases, disk access errors occur when the system lacks the necessary permissions to access the disk due to ownership settings.

Therefore, after troubleshooting, our next recommended solution is to adjust the ownership status in Windows and verify the updated access settings. Here's what you need to do:

• Right-click on the drive and select "Properties."
• Go to the "Security" tab and click "Advanced."
• Click "Change," type your user account under "Enter the object name," then hit "Check Names" and "OK."
• Return to Properties, go to "Security," and click "Edit."
• Select your account, check the "Full Control" box, then click "Apply" and "OK."

3 Fix Local Disk Not Accessible by Reassigning a Drive Letter

If changing the Properties settings does not work, then you should try reassigning a drive letter. It is proven to fix the missing driver issues and can also deal with disk inaccessibility. It's simple to do:

• Press the "Windows key + X" and choose "Disk Management."
• Find the target hard disk, then right-click on it.
• Select "Change Drive Letter and Paths," then click "Add."
• Choose "Assign the following drive letter" and pick a new letter.
• Click "OK" to confirm, then try accessing the D drive again.

Warning:

This method involves modifying system settings and could potentially lead to data loss if not done correctly.

4 Fix Drive Is Not Accessible by Using CMD

If you see the message "D:\ is not accessible. Access is denied." it means there are disk errors or data corruption issues. But sometimes, bad sectors can also cause this message to appear. In both cases, running a CMD or CHKDSK (short for “Check Disk”) command is the best way to fix the issues.

• Go to the search box, type "CMD," and press "Enter". Then select "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as Administrator."
• Type "chkdsk d: /f" or "chkdsk d: /r" (replace "d" with your drive letter).
• Press "Enter" to start the scan.
• Wait for the process to complete and check if the drive is accessible.

Notes:

This method is suitable for users who are comfortable with Command Prompt and can input the necessary commands.

5 Fix Drive D Is Not Accessible by Formatting the Disk

If none of the above methods work, the final option is to completely format your drive. This method may restore your disk to its original normal state and resolve this local disk D is not accessible issue.

• Open File Explorer, right-click on the target drive, and select "Format."
• Choose the file system (e.g., NTFS for Windows) and adjust other settings if needed.
• Click "Start" to begin the formatting process.
• Once completed, click "OK" and check that the drive is accessible and empty.

How to Get Back Data When Drive Is Not Accessible?

When a drive is not accessible, it often comes with frustrating error messages like "location is not available", an unreadable file system, or a drive that doesn’t show up correctly in File Explorer. In these situations, your data isn’t necessarily lost, but keeps using the drive may increase the risk of permanent data loss.

While basic checks can sometimes restore access, they often fail when the drive is corrupted, accidentally formatted, or has a damaged partition. In such cases, 4DDiG Data Recovery offers a reliable and easy-to-use way to scan the inaccessible drive, find recoverable files, and restore them safely without overwriting existing data.

Key Features of 4DDiG include:

• Recover Different Types of Files: Retrieves files like photos, videos, documents, audio and more from inaccessible/unrecognizable drives.
• Supports Various Data Loss Scenarios: Works for deleted, formatted, corrupted, or partition-lost drives.
• External Device Support: Works with external formatted hard drives, USB drives, SD cards..
• Preview Before Recovery: Lets you view files before restoring them so you can recover only what you need.
• User-Friendly Interface: Step-by-step guidance suitable for beginners.
• Safe Recovery Process: Reads data without writing to the damaged drive, reducing the risk of overwriting files.

You can download and install 4DDiG on your computer and open it to start recovering data from an inaccessible drive.

• After opening the software, head to he "Hard Drive" tab and find the location where your data was lost, such as the D drive.
• 4DDiG will start the scanning process automatically, which may take some time depending on the size of your hard drive. Wait for the scan to complete.
• Once finished, you can filter and find the files you want to recover. Select them to have a quick preview, then click the "Recover" button.
• When you've decided what files to recover, choose a safe location to store the recoverable files and click "Save Now" to proceed.

If you're still unclear on the process, please refer to the quick video tutorial.

• 00:38 Use Windows Error Checking Tool
• 01:13 Run CHKDSK Utility
• 01:57 Perform Data Recovery with 4DDiD SoftwareHOT
• 03:20 Format the Corrupted Hard Drive

Conclusion

You have learned 5 effective fixes for the drive is not accessible problem. These methods also work well if you use an external hard drive, SSD, USB flash drive or SD card. If you're worried about data loss, we recommend running Tenorshare 4DDiG to recover all the data.

Hard Drive Is Not Accessible FAQs

Q1: What're the Common Error Messages for Drive Not Accessible?

• Access is denied.
• Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check.
• The file or directory is corrupted.
• The parameters is incorrect.

Q2: What's the "Drive Is Not Accessible the Parameter is incorrect"?

The "drive not the accessible parameter is incorrect" message appears when the system fails to interpret the parameters of the external hard drive (even if it is a USB flash, or a SD card). Also, note that the error usually occurs in Windows 7,8 and 10.

Q3: How to access a hard drive that is not accessible?

To access a hard drive that is not accessible, you can run the CMD command method that has been introduced in the previous part.