How to Customize Access Denied Message on Windows 10?

Do you want to customize Access Denied message on Windows 10 for standard users?

If multiple standard users use your computer, sometimes it is best to limit their access to the administrative-level tools and applications you don’t want them to mess with. 

The process of limiting the access is relatively straightforward, and since Windows provides you with the option to customize the Access Denied message, you can also let your users know why they cannot access the particular program.

If you are reading this right now, it is fair to assume that you are searching for ways to customize this message. In this guide, we will walk you through all the relevant steps in detail. 

Let’s dive right in!

1. Use the Group Policy Editor.

Group Policy Editor is an administrative-level tool that helps users control the working environment of Windows better. Users can customize the policies to adjust the system’s behaviour for a defined group of users. 

If several users use your computer and you do not want them to have complete control over your operating system, it is best to limit the permissions. You can also customize the access denied message to let the users know why they cannot access the program, and the easiest way to do this is via Group Policy Editor. 

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Open a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously.
  2. Type ‘gpedit.msc’ in the text field of the dialogue box and hit Enter. Doing so will launch the Group Policy Editor.
  1. Inside the Group Policy Editor, navigate to the location mentioned below.
Computer Configuration\ Administrative Templates\ System\ Access-Denied Assistance
How to Customize Access Denied Message on Windows 10
  1. In the right pane, double-click on Customize message for Access Denied errors and choose Enabled.
  2. You can now add a custom message for the users who are not allowed to access the program. In case you want the users to ask for access, checkmark the boxes under Email recipients and Email settings
How to Customize Access Denied Message on Windows 10
  1. To save the changes, click on Apply and then OK

That’s it. The access denied message will now display a custom message whenever a standard user attempts to access a particular program.

2. Try Using CleanMyPC. 

If the steps mentioned in this guide are not working for you, then there is a high chance that your system is infected with a corruption error that is preventing you from executing certain operations. 

In this case, you must deep clean your PC to get rid of all the junk files and then proceed with the methods we have mentioned in this guide. 

The easiest and quickest way of removing corrupt files is by using a reliable PC cleaner. We recently tested a few top-rated cleaners available and found CleanMyPC to be the best, and we highly recommend it to everyone looking for a reliable PC cleaning solution. 

Install CleanMyPC on your PC

It will not just help you remove the junk files and increase your system’s overall space but will also resolve your other system-related issues like slow speed and sluggish performance. All that you need to do is install CleanMyPC and run a scan using it. The rest will be taken care of!


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3. Use the Windows Registry.

Like the Group Policy Editor, Windows Registry also allows the users to tweak the operating system’s settings according to their preferences. 

If you find the process of customizing the access denied message via Group Policy Editor a bit complex, then you can try doing it via Windows Registry. However, make sure to follow all the steps carefully, as a slight error can cause severe damage to your PC. 

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Open a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously.
  2. Type ‘regedit’ in the dialogue box and hit Enter. Doing so will take you to the Windows Registry. 
  1. Inside the Registry Editor window, navigate to the location mentioned below. 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ADR\AccessDenied
  1. If ADR or AccessDenied keys are missing, simply right-click on the available key and select the New > Key option. To simplify, if the ADR key is missing, right-click on the Windows key, and if the AccessDenied key is missing, right-click on ADR and create a new key.
  2. Once a new key is created, name it as Access Denied/ADR
  3. Now double click on AccessDenied and right-click anywhere in the right pane.
  4. Select New > DWORD (32-bit Value) and name this value as Enabled.
Enable Access Denied
  1. Double-click on it and under Value data, type 1.
  2. Now right-click in the right pane again and this time, select New > Multi-String Value.
  3. Name this new key as ErrorMessage and double click on it.
  4. Under Value data, type the custom message that you want to display and click on OK
Error message
  1. For enabling request assistance, right-click anywhere in the right pane once again and choose New > DWORD (32-bit Value).
  2. Name this key as AllowEmailRequests and double click on it to change the Value data to 1
  3. If you want to add text in the email, then create a new value in the same pane by choosing New > Multi-String Value.
  4. Name this new value as EmailMessage and double-click on it. 
  5. Under Value data, add the text you want and hit OK
Email message
  1. If you wish to add email recipients, you have the choice to make one or values. Choose the same New > DWORD (32-bit Value) option, and for a folder owner, you can name this value as PutDataOwnerOnTo. For server administrators, you can name the value as PutAdminOnTo.
  2. Change the value data of both these values to 1 and hit OK
How to Customize Access Denied Message on Windows 10
  1. To add additional recipients, choose the New > String Value option and name it as AdditionalEmailTo.
  2. Under Value data, add the email address.
How to Customize Access Denied Message on Windows 10
  1. If you wish to create log emails, choose the New > DWORD (32-bit Value) option and name the value as GenerateLog.
  2. Change the Value to 1 and hit Enter.
Customize Access Denied Message on Windows 10

Hopefully, doing so will help you display the custom access denied message on Windows 10.

This brings us to the end of our guide on ways to customize access denied message on Windows 10. We tried walking you through all the methods in detail and hope that one of them did the trick for you. If you still have any questions, let us know in the comment section below.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Zainab Falak

    Zainab Falak is a staff writer for Saint and an expert in Microsoft Windows, having authored more than 200 posts. She has a Bachelors in Actuarial Sciences and her passion for computers extends to exploring various aspects, from UI customization to the Windows registry and exploring error codes. Twitter LinkedIn

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