While attempting to format a USB flash drive, moving some files, or renaming the media files, you may come across You do not have sufficient rights to perform this operation error. The error can occur due to several reasons, and most of the time can be resolved by making some changes to file properties and security. At times, the user may also require to take ownership of the file to fix the issue.

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Users shared their concerns about the problem on the Microsoft Support forum.

Learn how to fix this with the instructions we provided below.

This is the error message I receive when attempting to format a stand-alone backup hard-drive. I am the administrator of the system and it is a drive I have formatted and used before, mind you. I did recently have to unplug the drive without being able to go through the process of “safely removing hardware.” Any ideas?

Why I don’t have sufficient right to format my USB flash drive?

1. Enable Admin Account

  • Type cmd in the search bar.
  • Right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as Administrator“.
  • In the command prompt, type the following command and press enter.
  • net user administrator /active:yes
  • Once you see the success message, exit the Command Prompt.

Log off and log on the administrator account and try to rename the file that was giving you the error.

2. Format the Drive from the Disk Management Tool

  • In the search bar, type Disk Management and open “Create and format hard disk partition“.

  • In the Disk Management window, right-click on your USB flash drive and select Format.

  • Make sure the File System is set to NTFS and allocation unit size is Default.

  • Check “Perform a quick format” option and click OK.

  • Windows should format the USB drive without any error.

  • Also Read: 3 software to read Mac-formatted drives on Windows

3. Use Command Prompt to Format the Drive

  • Type cmd in the search bar. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
  • In the Command Prompt window, type the following command press enter.
  • Format X:/
  • In the above command, replace the X with your USB drive letter. Make sure you enter the right drive letter before pressing enter.

4. Take Ownership of the File or Drive

  • Right-click on the USB Drive or file and select “Properties”.
  • Go to the Security tab and click on the Advanced button.
  • Click the Change link in the Owner section.
  • Enter your username in the give filed and click on Check names.
  • Click OK and the owner name should have changed to your username.
  • Click on Apply and OK to save the changes.

Close the Properties window and try to Format the drive again. Check for any improvements.

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