How to Fix Local Users And Groups Access Denied Windows 10?

Why does error Local Users And Groups Access Denied Windows 10 happen?

The “Access Denied” message in Windows 10 Local Users and Groups can appear for different reasons. It usually means your account or your Windows version does not have enough permission to use this feature. Knowing the common causes can help you understand why this issue happens.

Reason	Explanation
Not enough permissions	Your account may not have the required rights to open or edit Local Users and Groups.
Group policy settings	Some policy settings may block this feature on your computer.
Damaged user profile	A corrupted profile may cause permission problems and stop you from accessing the tool.
Unsupported Windows version	Windows 10 Home does not support Local Users and Groups, so the feature cannot be used.
Not running as administrator	The tool needs admin rights. Without them, the system may show “Access Denied.”

If you see this error, it often relates to permission limits or your Windows edition. You may need to check if your account is an administrator, review your policy settings, or confirm that your Windows version supports this feature. These checks can help you understand the issue before trying to fix it.

How to fix cannot open local users and groups in Windows 10?

If you cannot open Local Users and Groups, the solution depends on your Windows edition. The tool is built into Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise but is not available in Windows 10 Home. Home users will need a different approach, while Pro or Enterprise users can try built-in tools.

✔️ Case 1. For Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise

Step1. Open the Local Users and Groups tool

Press Windows + R, type lusrmgr.msc, and press Enter. This opens the Local Users and Groups snap-in.

Step 2. Repair system files and reset Group Policy

1️⃣ Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

sfc /scannow

2️⃣ This checks for corrupted system files and repairs them. You can also reset Group Policy using:

RD /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers" && RD /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy"

Step 3. Manage accounts with netplwiz

Press Windows + R, type netplwiz, and press Enter. Select the account you want to manage, click Properties, go to Group Membership, and set it to Administrator if needed.

Step 4. Check domain membership

If your PC is part of a domain, Local Users and Groups will not work. Domain accounts are managed using Active Directory Users and Computers instead.

✔️ Case 2. For Windows 10 Home

Windows 10 Home cannot open Local Users and Groups because this edition does not include the feature at all. When you try to run lusrmgr.msc, the system blocks it, as the component is missing by design. This stems from Microsoft limiting advanced user-management tools to Pro and Enterprise editions.

Since the feature is not present, command-line fixes do not help because no command can restore a tool that Windows Home never had. As a result, Home users need another way to manage accounts.

AOMEI Partition Assistant becomes a practical option here, as it provides its own Account Management module. This works because the tool builds a separate, graphical interface that replaces the missing Local Users and Groups functions. Through it, you can create users, reset passwords, enable or disable accounts, and manage access without relying on unsupported Windows features.

Option 1. Create Local Groups in Windows 10 Home

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Click the "Tools" main tab and select "Users and Groups".

Step 2. Click the "Groups" tab and then click the "New Group" button to create a new group. You can also click the "Refresh" button to refresh the group list.

Step 3. Then, type the name and description for the new group. And, you can select user accounts as members of the group.

Notes:

• To perform this procedure, you must provide credentials for the Administrator account on the local computer (if you are prompted) or you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer.
• A local group name cannot be identical to any other group name or user name on the local computer that is being administered. The local group name can contain up to 256 uppercase characters or lowercase characters, except for the following: " / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < > @
• A group name cannot consist solely of periods (.) or spaces.

Step 4. After all is set, click "Create" to create the new group.

Finally, you can see the group is created successfully in Windows Local Users and Groups. And, you can also manage the new group.

Option 2. Easily Manage Local Groups

Step 1. Under the "Groups" tab, you can also manage your local groups. Find the group you want to manage and click the three-point button for management.

Step 2. You can manage members of the group, rename, delete, and edit the properties of the group.

Option 3. How to Add to Group

Click the "Add to Group" option to change the group description and add/remove user account(s) to the group. Click "Apply"or "OK" to apply the change.

Note: All the rights and permissions that are assigned to a group are assigned to all members of that group.

Option 4. How to Rename a Group

Click the "Rename" option to change the name of the group, modify the description, and add/remove user account(s) to the group as well. Click "Apply"or "OK" to apply the change.

Option 5. How to Delete Group

Click the "Delete" option to delete the unnecessary group. You will get a pop-up window saying that deleting the group will delete its identifier. Click "Yes" if you confirm, and then the account will be deleted directly.

Notes: 

• Some default built-in groups, for example, Administrator, Users, Guests, and so on, cannot be deleted.

• Deleting a local group removes only the group. It does not delete the user accounts, computer accounts, or group accounts that were members of that group.

• A deleted group cannot be recovered, so please be cautious before deleting a group.

Properties

Click the "Properties" option to check the group properties. You can change the description of the group and add/remove user account(s) to the group. Click "Apply" or "OK" to apply the change.

Conclusion

Local Users and Groups access denied in Windows 10 usually happens because of permission limits, policy issues or an unsupported edition. By checking your system version and applying the right methods, you can restore access on Pro or Enterprise systems. If you use Windows 10 Home, third party tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant offer a practical way to manage accounts when the built in feature is not available.