If you are receiving the “Access Denied” error in SharePoint, it means that your user account does not have the necessary permissions to perform a specific action, such as viewing a document, editing a file, managing a site, or accessing a restricted area. This issue can arise due to permission settings, security policies, or misconfigurations.
Below is a step-by-step guide to troubleshoot and resolve the “Access Denied” error in SharePoint in a detailed and lengthy way.
Step 1: Verify You Are Logged in with the Correct Account
Before troubleshooting, ensure that you are signed in with the correct user credentials.
How to check your logged-in account:
- Open SharePoint in your web browser.
- Click on your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner.
- Note the email address linked to the current session.
- If you are signed in with the wrong account:
- Click Sign out.
- Log in again using the correct credentials.
Step 2: Identify the Action You Are Trying to Perform
The “Access Denied” error can appear in different scenarios, such as:
- Opening a SharePoint site.
- Viewing or editing a document.
- Creating, deleting, or modifying lists, libraries, or pages.
- Sharing files or managing permissions.
Understanding the exact action that triggered the error will help in troubleshooting.
Step 3: Check If the Resource Exists
If a SharePoint site, file, or document does not exist or has been moved, you might receive an “Access Denied” error.
How to verify if the resource exists:
- Copy the URL of the file, document, or page.
- Open a new incognito/private window in your browser.
- Paste the URL and try to access it.
- If you see a 404 (Not Found) or “This site doesn’t exist” error, the content may have been deleted, moved, or renamed.
- Contact the site owner or SharePoint administrator to confirm.
Step 4: Request Access If Available
If you see a “Request Access” button, you can request permission from the site owner.
How to request access:
- Click on the “Request Access” button on the error page.
- Enter a message explaining why you need access.
- Click Send.
- Wait for the site owner to approve your request.
If there is no “Request Access” option, proceed to the next steps.
Step 5: Check Your Permissions (For Users)
Your access level depends on what permissions are assigned to you.
How to check your permissions on a SharePoint site:
- Navigate to the SharePoint site.
- Click on the gear icon (⚙) in the top-right corner.
- Select Site permissions.
- If you see a message saying, “You do not have permission to view this page”, then your account lacks the required access.
- Contact the site administrator or owner to check your permissions.
Step 6: Verify Your Group Membership (For Users)
Permissions in SharePoint are often assigned based on groups rather than individual users.
How to check your group membership:
- Open Microsoft 365 Admin Center (if accessible).
- Navigate to Users → Active Users.
- Find your account and check which groups you are assigned to.
- If you are missing from key groups (e.g., “Site Visitors,” “Members,” or “Owners”), request to be added by your administrator.
Step 7: Check Permissions for the Specific Resource (For Site Owners/Admins)
If you are a site owner or admin, you need to verify whether the user has the correct permissions.
How to check SharePoint site permissions:
- Go to the SharePoint site in question.
- Click on the gear icon (⚙) → Site permissions.
- Look for the groups “Site Owners,” “Site Members,” and “Site Visitors”.
- Click on each group to see who has access.
If the user is missing:
- Click Grant Permissions.
- Enter their email address.
- Choose Read (view only) or Edit (modify content).
- Click Share.
Step 8: Check Permissions for a Specific File, Folder, or List
Even if a user has access to a site, they may be restricted from specific files, folders, or lists.
How to check document or folder permissions:
- Navigate to the document library or list.
- Click on the file/folder.
- Click the three dots (⋮) → Manage Access.
- Ensure the user has the appropriate permissions.
If the user is missing:
- Click Advanced Permissions Settings.
- Add the user and assign proper access.
Step 9: Check if External Sharing is Restricted (For External Users)
If you are an external user (guest account) trying to access a SharePoint site, the organization might have disabled external sharing.
How to check if external sharing is enabled:
- A SharePoint admin should go to SharePoint Admin Center.
- Navigate to Policies → Sharing.
- Check if external sharing is allowed.
- If disabled, an admin must enable guest access or share content via a guest link.
Step 10: Verify Permission Inheritance (For Site Owners/Admins)
Some pages, libraries, or folders may have unique permissions rather than inheriting from the site.
How to check permission inheritance:
- Go to the document library where the file is stored.
- Click the three dots (⋮) → Manage Access.
- If it says “This item has unique permissions”, click Advanced.
- You can either:
- Restore inheritance (to match site-wide permissions).
- Manually add users with appropriate access.
Step 11: Run PowerShell to Check Permissions (For Admins)
If permissions are not visible in the UI, PowerShell can be used to check them.
How to check user permissions using PowerShell:
- Open PowerShell as an administrator.
- Run the following command:
Install-Module -Name SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourcompany.sharepoint.com" -UseWebLogin Get-PnPUser | Select Title, Email, LoginName - This will display a list of users with access to the site.
- If the user is missing, manually grant access using:
Add-PnPSiteCollectionAdmin -Owners "user@yourcompany.com"
Step 12: Contact IT Support or SharePoint Administrator
If none of the steps resolve the issue, contact your IT support team or SharePoint administrator with:
- The URL of the site, document, or folder you are trying to access.
- The exact error message received.
- Your account email.
- The steps you have already tried.