Errno 13 permission denied python ошибка

Python is a program designed for building websites, software, and more using a high-level programming language. However, users have recently reported receiving a permission denied error in Windows 11. Here’s how to fix PermissionError [Errno 13] Permission denied error in Python.

Because Python uses a general-purpose language, it can be used to build a variety of different types of programs rather than focusing on a specific variable.

For those wanting to learn more about developing and coding, Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn, making it perfect for beginners.

Why do I get the permission denied error in Python?

Users encounter PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied error if providing Python with a file path that does not have permission to open or edit the file. By default, some files do not allow certain permissions. This error may also occur if providing a folder rather than a file.

If the file is already being operated by another process, then you may encounter the permission denied error in Python. If you’re receiving the Python runtime error, we offer solutions for that as well.

How do I fix the Python permission denied error in Windows 11?

1. Check file path

One of the main causes of PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied is because Python is trying to open a folder as a file. Double-check the location of where you want to open the file and ensure there isn’t a folder that exists with the same name.

Run the os.path.isfile(filename) command replacing filename with your file to check if it exists. If the response is false, then the file does not exist or Python cannot locate it.

2. Allow permissions using chomd

If the file does not have read and write permissions enabled for everyone, then you may encounter the permission denied error in Python. Try entering the chomd 755 filename command and replace filename with the name of your file.

This command gives everyone permission to read, write, and execute the file, including the owner. Users can also apply this command to entire directories. Running the ls -al command will provide a list of files and directories and their permissions.

3. Adjust file permissions

1. Navigate to the location of your file in file explorer.
2. Right-click on the file and select Properties.
3. Click the Security tab then select your name under Group or user names.
4. Select Edit and go through and check permissions.
5. Click Apply then OK.

Adjusting the permissions of the file that you’re trying to open will allow Python to read, write, and execute the file.

4. Turn off execution aliases

1. Click on Start and open Settings (or press Windows + I).
2. Open Apps then select Apps & features.
3. Open the drop-down menu next to More settings.
4. Click App execution aliases.
5. Locate the two App Installers for python.exe and python3.exe and toggle both to Off.

Python was added to the Microsoft Store for version 3.7 which introduced permission denied errors because it created two installers: python.exe and python3.exe. Disabling the Microsoft Store versions of Python should fix the permissions denied error.

5. Update Windows and drivers

1. Click on Start and open Settings (or press Windows + I).
2. Scroll down and select Windows Update.
3. Perform any available updates.
4. Select Advanced options.
5. Under Additional options, click on Optional updates.
6. Run any driver updates.

If you’re suddenly encountering the Python permission denied error and none of the above solutions worked, then check for any Windows 11 updates and perform any available driver updates.

If this method didn’t work either, we recommend you use specialized driver update software, DriverFix.

DriverFix is a fast and automated solution for finding all outdated drivers and updating them to their latest versions. The installation process it’s fast and safe so no additional issues will occur.

DriverFix

Fast and simple tool to maintain all drivers updated.

What is the latest version of Python?

As of the release of this article, the latest version of Python is 3.10.7 which is available for Windows 8 and newer and is not compatible with older versions including Windows 7. Python supports Windows, macOS, Linux/UNIX, and more.

However, If users want to use older versions of Python, they can access releases 2.7 and newer or they can download a specific version of a release.

If you want a quick way to open PY files on Windows 10 and 11, we offer a guide for that as well.

Hopefully, one of the above solutions helped you fix the Python permission denied error in Windows 11. Let us know in the comments which step worked for you or if you have any suggestions for a different solution.

Permission denied means you are not allowed to access a file. But why this happens? This is because a file has 3 access properties – read, write, and execute. And 3 sets of users – owner, group, and others. In this article we will look at different solutions to resolve PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied.

What is permission denied error?

Suppose you have a file in your computer but you can’t open it. Strangely another user can open the same file. This is because you don’t have permission to read the content of that file.

Permission denied on files to protect them. For example, you have stored username & password for your database in a file so you never want it to be accessible to anyone except the database application and you. That’s why you will restrict it from other applications, software, processes, users, APIs etc.

In a system, root user can access everything. So, we seldom use the root account otherwise there is no meaning of security. A software running with root privilege can access your password file which you wanted to be secure. That’s why sudo should be used with caution.

How these permissions are defined?

There are 3 types of permissions – read, write and execute. With read permission a software, process, application, user etc. can read a file. Similarly, with write permission they can write to the file. Execute is used to run it.

Now the question is, how to apply these permissions to different software, users etc.? Well there are 3 types of users – owner, group, and others. So, you can assign 3 sets of permissions, like this –

Let’s get back to our password file example. Now you are into others user category because you are not the owner of the file and probably not the part of group. People use to give least permissions to the others because these are the access levels for everyone.

The password file won’t have any permission in others category. And trying to access that will result in permission error: permission denied.

Reasons of permissionerror ERRNO 13 in Python

Primarily these are the reasons of permissionerror: errno13 permission denied in Python –

1. Using folder path instead of file path while opening a file.
2. Trying to write to a file which is a folder.
3. Trying to write to a file which is already opened in an application.
4. File permission not allowing python to access it.
5. File is hidden with hidden attribute.

Let’s understand each of these reasons one by one and check their solutions.

Using folder path instead of file path while opening a file

To open a file for reading or writing, you need to provide the absolute or relative path to the file in open function. Sometimes we create path of parent folder instead of file and that will lead to the permission error 13. Check out this code –

file = open("C:\users\akash\Python\Documents", "r")
file.close()

The output will be –

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "jdoodle.py", line 2, in <module>
    file = open("C:\users\akash\Python\Documents", "r")
PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\users\akash\Python\Documents'

The reason for the error in above code is that we have used C:usersakashPythonDocuments as path which is a directory. Instead we needed to use C:usersakashPythonDocuments\myFile.csv.

Trying to write to a file which is a folder

This is a common case. Suppose you want to write to a file using Python but a folder with same name exists at that location then Python will get confused and try to write to a folder. This is not a right behavior because folders are not files and you can’t write anything on them. They are used for holding files only.

Trying to write to a file which is a folder will lead to permission error errno 13. Check this code –

# Directory Structure
# 📂/
# |_ 📂Users
#    |_ 📁myFile

file = open("/Users/myFile", "w")
file.write("hello")
file.close()

The output will be –

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "jdoodle.py", line 2, in <module>
    file = open("/Users/myFile", "r")
PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/Users/myFile'

In the above example we showed the directory structure and tried to write to myFile. But myFile is already a name of directory in the path. Generally, if a file doesn’t exist and we try to write to it then Python creates the file for us. But in this case there is already a directory with the provided name and Python will pick it. This will lead to permission error.

The solution to this problem is to either delete the conflicting directory or use a different file name.

Trying to write to a file which is already opened in an application

If a file is already opened in an application then a lock is added to it so that no other application an make changes to it. It depends on the applications whether they want to lock those files or not.

If you try to write to those files or more, replace, delete them then you will get permission denied error.

This is very common in PyInstaller if you open a command prompt or file explorer inside the dist folder, then try to rebuild your program. PyInstaller wants to replace the contents of dist but it’s already open in your prompt/explorer.

The solution to this problem is to close all the instances of applications where the file is opened.

File permission not allowing python to access it

In the above section we talked about file permissions. Python will be in others category if it is not set as user or in a group. If the file has restrictive permissions for others then Python won’t be able to access it.

Suppose the permission to the file is –

Owner – read, write, execute
Group – read, write
Others – none

Then only owner and group will be able to read and write to the file. Others will not be able to access it. Check out this image –

In this image the file owner is www, group is www, owner permissions are read+write, group permission is read only, while others have no permissions.

The solution to this problem is to either provide appropriate permission to the file for others, or add Python as owner or to the group.

Another solution is to run Python with root privilege.

File is hidden with hidden attribute

If your file is hidden then python will raise permission error. You can use subprocess.check_call() function to hide/unhide files. Check this code –

import subprocess

myPath = "/Users/myFile.txt"
subprocess.check_call(["attrib", "-H", myPath])

file_ = open(myPath, "w")

In the above code -H attribute is used to unhide the file. You an use +H to hide it again.

Conclusion

In this article we saw a number of reasons for Python to throw PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied and discussed about their solutions with code examples. Follow the steps provided in article and you will be able to resolve this issue.

Errno 13 permission denied is an error message when Python cannot read your file due to an error in your code or a conflict in the file system of your operating system. This article will show you other causes of this error message as well, and we’ll teach you how to fix them all.

Everything that you’ll learn will let you understand how Python handles files and how it responds if it encounters a problem in the process. Now, switch on your computer, and let’s solve the “permission denied” error in Python.

Why Is Python Denied a Permission? All Possible Causes

Python was denied permission because of the following:

• You’re reading a folder like a file
• Python is not permitted to read the file
• The file is opened in another program
• There is a forward slash before the folder name
• You’re using “Python 3.7” from Microsoft Store

– You’re Reading a Folder Like a File

The first cause of the “permission denied” error is when Python tries to open a folder name like a file using Python’s in-built “open()” function. By default, this function will open files in a directory, and it will return a file object. But it’s not designed to open a folder, and if you tell it to open a folder, that’s when the permission error occurs.

For example, the following code aims to open a file in a directory, but there is no reference to the file.

– Python Is Not Permitted To Read the File

When Python is not permitted to read a file, it will also report a “permission denied” error. This happens because, on operating systems like Windows and Linux, you can configure file access for a user account.

So, if your user account does not have access to a file, any Python installation for your account cannot open the file. This means any attempt to open the file using the “open()” function in Python will result in a permission error.

– The File Is Opened in Another Program

In the Windows operating system, if a file is opened in an application, you can’t read it using Python. For example, if you’re working with “File_A.csv” in Microsoft Excel, Windows will not allow Python to open “File_A.csv” using its “open()” function.

This prevents conflicts where one application can make changes, and another can delete those changes at the same time. That’s because, when you open a file using the “open()”, you can change the file content.

– There Is Forward Slash Before the Folder Name

In Unix, if there is a forward slash before the folder name in your file-uploading code, you’ll run into the permission error. That’s because the forward slash before a folder’s name in Unix is a sign that the folder should be in the “root directory”.

This directory contains the core and sensitive files and directories of your Unix system, for example, “/bin/” and “/usr/”. However, ordinary processes like your file-uploading code don’t have permission to modify this “root directory”.

– You’re Using “Python 3.7” From Microsoft Store

If you’re using “Python 3.7” from Microsoft Store, you can encounter the “permission denied” error while working with Python. That’s because this Python has two executables, “python.exe” and “python3.exe” and this can create a conflict when working with files.

How To Solve the “Permission Denied Error” in Python? Simplified

You can solve the “permission denied error” in Python using the following:

• Confirm that you’re opening a file using “os.path.isfile()”
• Grant Python permissions to read the file
• Close the application that’s using the file
• Remove the forward slash before your folder
• Toggle off application execution aliases in Windows



– Confirm That You’re Opening a File Using “OS.path.isfile()”

Before your code opens a file, you should confirm that the “file” is a file using “os.path.isfile()”. The “isfile()” function accepts a “file path”, and it will return Boolean “true” if the path belongs to a file and “false” otherwise.

Now, the following is the updated code that was reading a folder name instead of a file. This time, we use “os.path.isfile()” to check the file path, and if it’s a file, you can read and print the file content.

– Grant Python Permissions To Read the File

If you have “File_A.txt” that’s not accessible to your user account and your Python file (“File_B.py”), you can change the file permissions of “File_A.txt” or update the “file permissions” of the Python file, “File_B.py”.

On Windows, you can use the following steps to update the privilege of your Python file:

1. Open Windows explorer and navigate to the location of the Python file.
2. Right-click on it and select “Properties” to open a dialog window
3. Select the “Security” tab and choose your account username under “Group or user names”.
4. Click on “Edit” and set the permissions that are required. This will be “Full Control”, “Modify”, “Read & execute”, “Read” and “Write”.
5. Save your changes using the “Apply” button and click on “OK” to confirm.

On Linux, you can change the file permission using the “chmod 755 your_file_name.extension” or “chown account_username:admin your_file_name.extension”.

The “chmod 755” command will give you read/write/execute privilege on “your_file_name.extension” and the latter is a valid file on your computer. While the “chown” command is short for “change ownership” and here, the command will assign you administrator rights on the file.

You can use command on your Linux terminal, and then you can read the file using Python and the “open()” function.

– Close the Application That’s Using the File

When another application has opened a file that you’ll like to read in Python, you should close the application. On Windows, you do the following:

1. Locate the application’s icon on the Taskbar.
2. Right-click on it and select “Close”.

However, if the application failed to close using the steps above, you can use the command prompt:

1. Click on the “Start” menu and search for “cmd”.
2. Right-click the command prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
3. Type “tasklist” on the command line and hit “enter” on your keyboard.
4. Locate the application from the command output and take note of its PID number.
5. Type the following and replace 1234 with the application’s PID: taskkill /f /PID 1234
6. Press enter on your keyboard to close the application.
7. Return to your Python code, and it should have access to the file.

– Remove the Forward Slash Before Your Folder

While working on Unix, you should remove the forward slash from your folder name to prevent the permission error. So, in your code, if you have something like “path = ‘/folderX/folderY’” change it to “path = ‘folder1/folder2′”.

From the latter, we removed the forward-slash (“/”) before “folder1”, and this defaults it to the current working directory. This is safe, and Unix will not stop your code from uploading to “folder1”.

– Toggle off Application Execution Aliases in Windows

You can toggle off application execution aliases in Windows if you’re getting the permission “denied error” from the Python that’s installed from Microsoft Store. To do this, use the following steps:

1. Click on the “Start” menu and select “Settings”.
2. Locate “Apps” in the left sidebar and choose “Apps & features”.
3. Open “More settings” and click on “App execution aliases”.
4. Locate the application installers for “python3.exe” and “python.exe” and toggle them off.
5. Switch back to your Python code, and it should read your file.

Conclusion

This article explains why Python shows the “errno 13 permission denied” error and how you can fix it. The following are what you should remember about this error:

• An attempt to read a folder name like a file will result in the permission denied error.
• You will get a permission error if your user account is not permitted to read a file.
• If an application like Microsoft Excel has the file opened, an attempt to read the file in Python will result in a permission error.
• You can solve the “permission denied” error by checking the validity of the file using “os.path.isfile()” or “chmod 755 your_file_name.extension”.

At this stage, you know how to solve and prevent the “Python permission” error. Teach your fellow Python developers your newly found knowledge by sharing our article.

Find Your Bootcamp Match

• Career Karma matches you with top tech bootcamps
• Access exclusive scholarships and prep courses

Select your interest

First name

Last name

Email

Phone number

By continuing you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and you consent to receive offers and opportunities from Career Karma by telephone, text message, and email.