Windows 10 has been around for quite a while now, and many users prefer it in the PC environment. It has earned this reputation thanks to its ease of use and the many settings it provides that makes it accessible to as many users as possible.
However, it is far from perfect as many users have reported various bugs over time that makes the use of the operating system difficult. One such bug is popular where many users have reported that they can’t rename folders in Windows 10.
Here I will discuss the possible reasons that you may be facing this error, and also how you can solve this using the easy solutions given below.
Why Can’t I Rename Folders In Windows 10?
Although this does not seem like a heavy error with many complexities at first, this can become annoying over time, and can seriously hamper productivity.
This is not a generic error, and not many users are affected by it. This is the reason that there are many possible reasons that this error makes it presence known on Windows 10.
- Many users have reported that they see this error after a recent update. Many updates if not installed properly can cause broken installations that ultimately lead to many errors popping up on their system.
- For many different reasons, the ownership of a particular file or folder may be changed. This leads to the users not having the administrator rights to rename a folder on Windows 10.
- There was a weird bug in Windows that did not let users operate on any files when in a certain view. Check solution 6 if this is the possible reason that you are facing this error.
- Missing or corrupt registry files can lead to Windows missing the necessary files to operate functionally. This can also lead to users not being able to rename files on Windows.
- Many third party themes can cause certain compatibility issues with your particular system. If you can’t rename folder as well, it may be because of the theme you have installed as well.
Solutions To The “Can’t Rename Folders In Windows 10” Error
Now that we have discussed the various reasons that you may be facing this error, I will tell the possible methods that can help you overcome this error. Since the reason that you may be facing this error can vary from person to person, there is a possibility that all fixes may not apply for everybody. Make sure to comb through the solutions for the perfect fix for your error.
Fix 1: Update Windows
Since this error is usually associated with Windows Update, you can try updating Windows to the latest version.
A broken update can lead to various issues on your system. If the error is a recognized bug, the error should be fixed in the next update of Windows 10. For this particular reason, try updating to the latest version of the available Windows 10 as the error may have been resolved by Windows on the operating system level.
However, if updating Windows does not help you solve your error, you can try the other fixes available here as well.
FIX 2: Take Ownership Of The Folder
Sometimes, you may lose the administrative privileges required to solve this error. You need to take ownership of the folder in order to make certain changes to it.
Read our full guide on how to take ownership of files and folders in Windows 10.
Fix 3: Change Personalization Settings
There is a reported bug in Windows that does not let you change Windows folder names when using third party themes. Many users have reported that changing to a static theme has helped them overcome this issue.
To change personalization settings, you can access the settings by right clicking on the desktop, and selecting Personalization.
Here, under the Background tab, from the right pane select Picture from the Background drop down menu.
Now check if your issue is resolved. If this bug was preventing Windows 10 from renaming your folders, now you should be able to solve this error.
FIX 4: Change Defender Settings For Windows 10
With Windows 10 v1803 a new feature was added to Windows Defender named “Controlled Folder Access”. This is an additional security feature that prevents unauthorized access to Windows files and folders.
Like many other things in Windows 10, this feature is also flawed and is sometimes overpowered. What I mean to say is the Windows Defender sometimes prevents the user himself from making certain changes to files as well.
You need to turn off Controlled Folder Access to properly access your files and folders. To do so, follow these steps:
- Open the Windows Settings You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + I.
- Click on Update & Security.
- From the left pane, go to Windows Security.
- Click on Open Windows Security This will open Windows Security settings.
5. Click on Virus & threat protection.
6. Now click on ‘Manage settings’ button under the Virus & threat protection Settings.
7. Scroll down to locate Controlled folder access.
8. Click on the Manage Controlled folder access button.
9. Turn the toggle towards off under Controlled folder access.
Turning this setting off should let you access the rights needed to rename folder in Windows 10.
FIX 5: Make Registry Tweaks
This error is also associated with misbehaving registry configuration files as well. There are certain changes that you can make in order to solve the “windows 10 can’t rename folder” error on your device.
First, if you were cautious enough to take a registry backup when you device was working fine, you can restore the registry to that version. To do that:
- Open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
- Type regedit and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
- Click on File.
- Under that, click on Import.
5. Browse to the location of the backup and then select that file.
6. Follow the onscreen instructions to restore the backup.
If restoring the registry files does not solve your error, you need to delete or rename some error prone registry files. Follow these steps carefully.
Note: Backup your registry before making any changes to it.
-
- Open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
- Type regedit and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the following location by pasting this path in the address bar of the Editor:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions - Here, locate and delete (or rename as I did) the following keys under this location:
{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}
{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}
{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}
{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}
{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104} - Reboot your PC.
Following this, the “can’t rename folder in windows 10” error on your device should be solved and you should be able to rename your folders.
Fix 6: Change View
As noted earlier, there is a bug in Windows 10 that prevents certain users on their devices from renaming the files and folders when the folder is being viewed in small icons.
This is a weird bug, and can be annoying. However, you can change the view to anything except the small icons to rename the folders in Windows 10.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how to solve the ‘can’t rename folder in windows 10’ error using the easy fixes given above. Comment below to tell us how you solved the error and tell us if you found this useful.
Phil says
Hi,
Thanks for the help, but nothing on this page fixed my problem. If nothing else, I have a feeling it is windows update the culprit. But I can’t fix it.
I can’t rename folders, then I also get for error that the folder can’t be found after that.
The quick access in the explorer to videos has lost its path, and the music one is duplicated, with one that also lost its path. It been a long search and no fix. I am starting to think there won’t be anything easy. I’ll have to reset the computer BUT windows doesn’t detect my USB external hard drive so I can’t backup.
Thanks anyways,
Phil
shirley says
Yea! #6 did the trick. Thank you!!!
Robert Comtois says
What a relief and a big thank you. Your registry change seems to have done the trick although I did shut down the Defender items and change the folders to medium so maybe all of those contributed to the success. Again thank you