PermissionError: [errno 13] permission denied:
This happens if you are trying to open a file, but your path is a folder.
This can happen easily by mistake.
There are basically three main methods of achieving administrator
execution
privileges on Windows.
- Running as admin from
cmd.exe
- Creating a shortcut to execute the file with elevated privileges
- Changing the permissions on the
python
executable (Not recommended)
A) Running
cmd.exe
as and admin
Since in Windows there is no
sudo
command you have to run the terminal (
cmd.exe
) as an administrator to achieve to level of permissions equivalent to
sudo
. You can do this two ways:
-
Manually
- Find
cmd.exe
inC:\Windows\system32
- Right-click on it
- Select
Run as Administrator
- It will then open the command prompt in the directory
C:\Windows\system32
- Travel to your project directory
- Run your program
- Find
-
Via key shortcuts
- Press the windows key (between
alt
andctrl
usually) +X
. - A small pop-up list containing various administrator tasks will appear.
- Select
Command Prompt (Admin)
- Travel to your project directory
- Run your program
- Press the windows key (between
permissionerror errno 13 permission denied
B) Creating shortcut with elevated privileges
- Create a shortcut for
python.exe
- Righ-click the shortcut and select
Properties
- Change the shortcut target into something like
"C:\path_to\python.exe" C:\path_to\your_script.py"
- Click "advanced" in the property panel of the shortcut, and click the option "run as administrator"