CHKDSK, a Windows-embedded utility, is used to repair logical issues on internal/external hard drives, USBs, and SD cards. However, sometimes when you try to run CHKDSK to fix errors on a drive, you might encounter an unexpected message: “Cannot open volume for direct access.”
This message usually appears when CHKDSK cannot gain the necessary permission to scan the drive—often because something else is using the disk, or the drive itself is damaged or corrupted. So, what can you do to diffuse this error? Don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll briefly explain why CHKDSK may not work properly and how to resolve it easily.
Part 1: What Causes ‘CHKDSK Cannot Open Volume for Direct Access’ Error?
The error ‘CHKDSK cannot open volume for direct access’ manifests when CHKDSK tool can’t access drive it’s trying to check or fix. Common reasons for this issue are:
- Drive in Use – The drive is being used by Windows or another program, often the case with system drive (C:). Often, antivirus or disk monitoring programs can lock the drive.
- Corrupted File System – Severe file system damage can block CHKDSK from accessing drive.
- Restricted Permissions – Security settings or permissions may prevent CHKDSK from working.
- Active Volume – The drive is in use by another process, thus, it’s inaccessible to CHKDSK.
- Running in Windows Environment – CHKDSK may lack privileges if run on system drive while logged into Windows.
- Physical Drive Issues – Hardware problems like a failing drive or bad sectors could cause a ‘Check Disk cannot open volume for direct access’ error.
Part 2: 4 Proven Ways to Fix Cannot Open Volume For Direct Access Error
Option A: Disable Disk-Related Services and Programs
Antivirus software, backup tools, and disk monitoring programs often run silently in the background, keeping a lock on the drive without you even realizing it. When CHKDSK tries to run, it finds the volume in use—and that’s when the “cannot open volume for direct access” message appears. Therefore, switch off these services and programs to resolve this issue. To do so:
Step 1: Type “Services” in Start menu. Open it.
Step 2: Find the third-party service or program causing error ‘cannot open volume for direct access’ on Windows 10/11(e.g., antivirus, backup software, or disk monitoring tool).
Step 3: Right-click your chosen service. Next, pick “Properties.” Set “Startup type” to “Disabled.”
Step 4: Hit “OK.” Close “Services” and reboot your computer to check whether CHKDSK is working.
Option B: Format the Affected Drive
File system issues could also lead to error ‘cannot open volume for direct access’ on USB or another drive. In such cases, formatting is a generic fix. However, you must first, recover files from a problematic drive as formatting would wipe away all data. Here’s how to resolve this glitch in 2 stages:
Stage 1: Recover Data Using A Dedicated Tool
As your drive is displaying CHKDSK cannot open volume for direct access error, you can’t access its files. So, you’ll need a specialized tool to reclaim your data. 4DDiG Data Recovery can aid you in this task. This free data recovery software can retrieve files from inaccessible, unreadable, formatted, corrupted, etc disks. Check out its key features:
- Can retrieve files from over 2,000 storage devices.
- Can reclaim lost partitions, and files missing due to crashed systems, virus attacks, and unbootable drives.
- Can regain 1000+ file types consisting of videos, documents, audio, images, and so forth.
- Offers free checks of recovered files before exporting them to your computer.
- Has a high recovery rate and an intuitive interface.
- Allows Windows users to recover up to 2GB of data for free.
Follow steps below to use this tool to recover files from your drive affected by CHKDSK error:
Step 1: Run disk recovery tool after installation. Then, select your affected drive to reclaim files from it. Pick file types to scan from “Scan All File Types” option up top. Hit “Scan.”
Step 2: The tool will scan your affected drive. You can pause or stop scan to see recovered results beneath “Path View” or “Type View.”
Step 3: Pick files you want. Then, click “Recover” Export them to a different place to avoid future data loss.
Stage 2: Format Your Drive
After you retrieve files from your affected drive, it’s time to format it. Formatting will remove any malware or wrong configurations that might be causing this issue. Here’s how:
Step 1: Right-click “Start.” Pick “Disk Management.” Open it.
Step 2: Find affected drive with ‘check disk cannot open volume for direct access’ error. Then, right-click it. Select “Format.”
Step 3: Adjust following formatting settings:
- Volume label – Choose a name for the drive.
- File system – Select NTFS (or FAT32 if required).
- Allocation unit size – Set to Default.
- Quick format – Uncheck for a thorough format.
- File and folder compression – Leave unchecked.
Step 4: Review and confirm settings. Hit “OK.”
Option C: Perform CHKDSK in Clean Boot Environment
When formatting doesn’t fix the error ‘cannot open volume for direct access’ on Windows 10/11, try performing a clean boot and running CHKDSK again. The reason to do this is to disable any recently installed or updated conflicting programs or services that are causing this issue. To do so:
Step 1: Press “Windows + R.” keys. This will open “Run.” Input “msconfig.” Then, hit “Enter.”
Step 2: Beneath the “General” tab, pick “Selective startup.” Next, untick “Load startup items.”
Step 3: Head to “Services.” Tick mark “Hide all Microsoft services.” Tap “Disable all.”
Step 4: After this, execute “Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).” Then, disable all startup items beneath “Startup” tab.
Step 5: Hit “OK.” Reboot your computer to examine whether CHKDSK is now able to access your drive.
Option D: Send the Problematic Disk for Repair
In case, no solution can fix your drive affected by error ‘cannot open volume for direct access’ on Windows 10/11, it might be physically broken. Visible symptoms of physical damage on a disk are displayed by scratches, dents, cracks, grinding noises, and overheating.
If your drive was frequently crashing or freezing up even before CHKDSK error showed up, this also indicates mechanical failure. Therefore, it’s time you send it professional data recovery & repair services. They possess expertise and tools to save your physically damaged disk. It’s best not to risk further damage by trying DIY fixes.
Final Words
A ‘CHKDSK cannot open volume for direct access’ error will prevent you from repairing or accessing your drive. To resolve this, follow 4 solutions mentioned earlier in this post. Out of all solutions you might need to pick one that teaches you about formatting your affected disk, which will wipe away all files from your disk. Therefore, protecting your data must be your first priority. With assistance of a tool like 4DDiG Data Recovery, you can retrieve files from your affected drive.
