Why will you encounter the compressed folder access denied error when you try to open it? Generally, there are three causes:
- The zipped folder is corrupted.
- The %TEMP% variable isn’t set properly.
- You don’t have the permission to access the compressed folder.
- Etc.
Method 1: Fix the %TEMP% Variable
The TEMP environment variable is a value that can be designed by users. This value affects the performance of programs and specifies the location of temporary files of most programs. With an improper TEMP variable, you may encounter different issues. Here is how to set the TEMP variable.
Step 1. Right-click on This PC and choose Properties.
Step 2. Scroll down to find and click Advanced system settings.
Step 3. Select Environment Variables at the bottom of the prompt window.

Step 4. In the User variables section, select TEMP and click Edit. You need to verify the Variable value as %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp and click OK to save the change.

After this, you should log out and log into your account again to check whether the cannot open a compressed folder issue is resolved. If not, please move on to the next method.
Method 2: Give Permission to the %TEMP% Folder
You may find that access to a zipped folder is denied when there are no sufficient permissions. You are allowed to modify the Temp folder by default, but sometimes the setting might be tweaked. Working with the following steps to check the permission.
Step 1. Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Step 2. Type % temp% into the address bar and hit Enter to open the Temp folder in File Explorer. Then, you need to right-click on the blank space and choose Properties.
Step 3. After changing to the Security tab, you should find the Users selection and click Edit in the middle of the window.

Step 4. In the prompt window, select the User option to see whether the Modify permission is denied. If yes, uncheck the option in the Deny column.

Method 3: Repair the Compressed Folder with WinRAR
What if the compressed folder access denied is caused by file corruption? You can try to repair the corrupted compressed folder with the help of WinRAR.
Step 1. Launch WinRAR to find the problematic zipped folder. You need to select it and click Repair at the top toolbar.
Step 2. Choose a destination for the repaired files and select Treat the corrupt archive as ZIP.

Step 3. Click OK to start the repair process. When the process ends, the specific path and new folder name will be displayed on the screen. You can click Close and go to the corresponding path to check the folder.
Recover Lost/Deleted Compressed Folder
Apart from file corruption, file loss is another trouble that people are concerned about most. If the compressed folders are lost due to deletion, formatting, virus infection, partition loss, or other reasons, how can you recover them?
Professional data recovery software provides a portable and high-efficiency way. MiniTool Power Data Recovery is one of the most secure data recovery services on the market. You can run this tool to recover types of files, including compressed folders, databases, photos, videos, documents, etc., from different devices. Get MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free to scan and restore 1GB of files for free.
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Bottom Line
This post gives three methods to fix compressed folder access denied error. You can try these methods one by one to find which works for your situation.
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