Quick answer: “Access is denied” on System Volume Information is normal. It’s a protected Windows folder that only the built-in SYSTEM account can open, so even administrators are blocked. You don’t need to open it. If it’s taking up space, shrink or delete restore points in System Protection. On a USB or external drive, you can take ownership and delete it, but Windows usually recreates a small copy.
Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10, on internal drives, USB flash drives and external hard drives.
In this guide
What System Volume Information is
Windows creates a hidden System Volume Information folder at the top of most drives it uses. It holds data that Windows services need for that drive, for example:
- System Restore points and Volume Shadow Copies (used by System Restore and some backup tools).
- Windows Search index information for the drive.
- Small settings files Windows uses to recognize the drive, which is why you also see it on USB sticks.
- Data used to track files that are moved between drives.
You normally don’t see it because it’s marked as a protected operating system file. It appears if you untick Hide protected operating system files in File Explorer Options > View, or when you browse the drive with another program.
Why you get Access is denied
By default, the folder’s permissions give access only to the SYSTEM account, the account Windows services run under. Your user account, even an administrator one, isn’t on the list. So when you double-click it, File Explorer shows Location is not available or Access is denied, and backup, sync or antivirus tools may log an access error for it.
This is by design and doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the drive. If a backup or sync program reports the error, exclude System Volume Information from its job; there’s nothing in it you need to back up yourself. If you see Access denied on your own folders instead, see You don’t currently have permission to access this folder.
If the folder is using a lot of space
Most of the size on a system drive comes from restore points. You can check and limit it without opening the folder.
Check how much space restore points use: open Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt as administrator and run:
vssadmin list shadowstorageLook at Used Shadow Copy Storage space and Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space for each drive.
Limit or delete restore points:
- Press Windows + R, type
sysdm.cpland press Enter. Open the System Protection tab. - Select the drive and choose Configure.
- Move the Max Usage slider to a lower value (a few percent is usually enough for a handful of restore points).
- To free the space now, select Delete to remove all restore points for that drive, then OK.
You can also set the limit from the same admin window, for example to 10% of drive C:
vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=C: /on=C: /maxsize=10%On versions that still include Disk Cleanup, you can keep only the newest restore point: run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr), choose Clean up system files, open the More Options tab and select Clean up under System Restore and Shadow Copies.
Deleting restore points means you can’t roll back to them, so keep at least one if your PC is stable. For other large system folders, see how to delete Windows.old and the $GetCurrent folder.
Remove it from a USB or external drive
On a flash drive or external disk, the folder is usually tiny. If you still want it gone, for example before using the drive in a TV or car stereo, you can delete it after taking ownership. Check the drive letter first; the example uses E:.
takeown /f "E:\System Volume Information" /r /d y
icacls "E:\System Volume Information" /grant administrators:F /t
rd /s /q "E:\System Volume Information"Run the commands in an admin Command Prompt, one at a time. The /d y answer is for English versions of Windows; on other languages, replace y with your language’s word for yes.
Windows usually recreates a small System Volume Information folder the next time you connect the drive. The other device normally just ignores it. Formatting the drive doesn’t stop this either.
Never do this on the drive Windows is installed on (usually C:). It removes your restore points and can break indexing and other features.
If you only want to see what’s inside
To see how big it is, you don’t need to open it: vssadmin list shadowstorage (above) shows the space restore points use, which is most of it on a system drive. The folder’s Properties window is often blocked too.
If you really need to look inside on a non-system drive, give your account read permission instead of taking ownership:
icacls "E:\System Volume Information" /grant "%username%":RRemove that permission again when you’re done with icacls "E:\System Volume Information" /remove "%username%". The files inside are Windows data, not personal files, and aren’t useful to open.
What not to do
- Don’t take ownership of
C:\System Volume Informationor delete files from it. Use System Protection to manage restore points instead. - Don’t use “unlocker” tools to force-delete it. They can remove data Windows expects and cause errors later.
- Don’t add your account with Full control on the system drive. If you change permissions there by mistake, a restore point or Windows repair may be needed to put things back.
Related guides
- You don’t currently have permission to access this folder: how to fix it
- How to delete Windows.old safely
- $GetCurrent folder: what it is and how to delete it safely
Official sources: for more detail, see these Microsoft pages:
Frequently asked questions
Is System Volume Information a virus?
No. Windows creates it on almost every drive. Malware can hide anywhere, but the folder itself is a normal part of Windows.
Can I delete System Volume Information on drive C?
No, and you shouldn’t try. Manage its size by limiting or deleting restore points in System Protection instead.
Why is System Volume Information so big?
Restore points and shadow copies are stored there. Their limit is set as a percentage of the drive, so on a large drive they can grow to many gigabytes. Lower the Max Usage setting to shrink it.
Why does it come back on my USB drive?
Windows creates it whenever it mounts a drive it can write to. It’s harmless and usually very small on removable drives.
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