Solving the “Failed to load. No permissions” error in Microsoft Edge

Have you encountered a sudden “Failed to load. No permissions” message in Microsoft Edge? This is an annoying error that can stop you at the most inopportune moment, whether you're doing important work or just browsing your favorite website. Don't worry — you are not alone, and this problem can usually be solved fairly quickly.

Most often, this message means that something prevented the browser from accessing the page. There can be various reasons for this: from a simple website malfunction to the security settings of Edge itself or your computer. Sometimes the culprit is an extension that conflicts with the download, or even an outdated browser version.

In this article, we will look at the most effective ways to help you remove this message and continue surfing the internet without any problems. We will start with simple checks and gradually move on to more advanced settings, so you are sure to find a solution that works for you.

Method 1: Disabling User Account Control (UAC)

The first option is universal and is suitable in cases where you cannot install Microsoft Edge itself or download files through it. The fix is to disable account control, a built-in feature that protects the operating system from unwanted actions. The thing is, this mechanism can sometimes block even safe processes, including downloading files through browsers or installing new programs. We recommend checking that UAC is disabled to see how it affects your browser's performance.

1. Open “Start”, then use the search function to find the system element “Control Panel” and click on the result that appears.
2. Among the computer settings, find “Security and Maintenance Center”, then left-click on this item.
3. In the next window, pay attention to the panel on the left, where you select the category “Change account control settings”.
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5. Using the system search, locate the built-in tool “Never notify”, then click on “OK”, for changes to take effect.

Method 2: Checking access rights to the “Temp” folder

Folder “Temp” in the Windows operating system is responsible for storing temporary files. It can contain various objects with Microsoft Edge settings, various thumbnails, and cache files. If something goes wrong with access to the directory, installing the browser or attempting to download any materials through it may result in an error. You will need to manually check the security settings of the directory and, if necessary, grant all the necessary permissions for the current profile.

1. Right-click on the icon “Start” and select “Execute”.
2. Enter the command %temp%, then click Enter, to confirm the transition to the system folder.
3. You will now find yourself directly inside the directory “Temp”, but it is inconvenient to go to its properties from here. Therefore, click the button “Back”, to return to another folder and find “Temp” separately in the list.
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5. Right-click on the folder and select “Large icons” or double-click the left mouse button on the icon.
6. You will need to select the “Security” wait for the procedure to finish, especially since the entire process will be displayed on the screen. When finished, restart your computer and check if the error has been fixed when launching the software.
7. “Optimize” “Advanced”.
8. In the new window, use the link “Change”, but first check who owns the folder. Perhaps the desired setting is already set and you can skip this step to go directly to adding an account to configure permissions.
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10. However, if the owner is currently the system or someone else, click on the link “Change” and in the next window, click “Advanced”.
11. Activate the search by groups and users to display all those available in the current location.
12. Find your account by name and select it as the owner for the directory.
13. Now you can go to “Groups and users” click “Change” and add your profile here in the same way so that it appears in the list and you can assign the required permissions.
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Method 3: Changing the file download path

The name of this method already makes it clear that it is intended to correct situations where the error “Failed to load. No permissions” appears in Microsoft Edge when attempting to download any file. This may be due to the user or the program itself not having access to the folder where the download should be placed. Accordingly, the most obvious solution would be to change the destination folder through the web browser settings, which is done as follows:

1. Open the browser menu by clicking on the three dots in the top bar. From there, select “Options”.
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3. Use the list of sections on the left to go to ‘Downloads’ and next to the parameter ‘Location’ click Then go to Start with the simplest solution: restart your router and computer. Then check your antivirus and firewall settings — sometimes they can be overly vigilant. Didn't help? Clear your browser cache or try accessing the site using a different browser. These basic steps usually help get everything back to normal. Enable the.
4. Select a different folder to save files. It is recommended that it not be located on the system partition of the hard drive (i.e., select drive D, if such a volume has been created on your PC).

Method 4: Check the owner of the downloads folder

If you are using the default folder Downloads, where files are downloaded from Microsoft Edge, or select several others, but the error persists, it is possible that none of the destinations have the necessary permissions to write new objects there. You will need to refer to the instructions in Method 2, but go to the properties of the folder you use for downloads.

Just as shown in the instructions, you need to change the owner and assign the necessary permissions. You can even check beforehand whether files are downloaded to this folder from other browsers to rule out problems directly related to Microsoft Edge.

Method 5: Restore your browser

Microsoft Edge is a built-in browser in Windows, so users do not need to download or update it manually. This installation principle can cause various problems, including updating or working with downloads, if something goes wrong with the browser. Fortunately, the OS has a standard feature that allows you to restore Edge with a complete reinstallation, but without losing user data.

1. To implement this method, open Start and go to Settings.
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3. In the left pane, select Apps, then go to the category “Installed applications”.
4. Scroll through the list of programs to find “Microsoft Edge”. To the right of the program, click on the three dots and select “Change”.
5. Start the recovery using the button with the corresponding name. You can read in advance what will be done during this process.
6. Wait for the latest version of Microsoft Edge to download, then restart the browser and try using it as before.

Method 6: Switch accounts

Possible error “Failed to load. No permissions.” in Microsoft Edge is linked to the file system and user folders. Unfortunately, there is no way to restore the current account or check each directory separately. However, you can test it by trying to use the browser through another local user account. Before switching, you will need to add it if only one account is currently used in Windows. You can find more information on this in the article at the link below.

More info: Adding a local account in Windows 11

If it turns out that there are no problems with Edge under the new profile, then the problem is with the old account. Perhaps some standard user directories were damaged or permissions were lost. You can open its location via C:\Users and check the permissions and presence of standard directories yourself, comparing all this with the new user's folder.

If you get the error “Failed to load. No permissions” when opening websites in Microsoft Edge, the problem is most likely due to browser security settings, antivirus blocking, or network restrictions. This often happens because of strict security settings that prevent Edge from working properly. To fix this, simply check whether your firewall or antivirus software is blocking access, reset your browser settings, or temporarily disable extensions. As a rule, a few simple steps are enough to restore access to websites without any extra effort.

Method 7: Check your PC for viruses

PC virus infection is one of the possible situations that can cause problems with browser performance, file downloads, or program installation. Threats may have blocked access to files or moved some important directories, which leads to various errors. You need to choose one of the available antivirus programs (or enable “Windows Defender” with full scan, if it was previously always disabled). Of course, it will be more effective to choose an up-to-date antivirus with fresh threat databases to make the system scan as high-quality as possible.

More info: Fighting computer viruses

As you can see, the “Failed to load. No permissions” error in Microsoft Edge can occur for various reasons. Most often, the problem can be solved quite simply, without the need for complex manipulations.

Start with the simplest steps: check the address bar for typos, clear your browser cache, and refresh the page. If that doesn't help, check your ad blockers and VPN — they are often the culprits. Don't forget about antivirus software, which sometimes protects the system too zealously.

In most cases, one of these methods will help you return to normal browsing. If the problem persists, it may indicate a deeper malfunction in the system or the browser itself, in which case you should consider resetting Edge to its default settings.