How to Fix “Your IT Administrator Has Limited Access” Error

Some users encounter the "Your IT administrator has limited access to some areas of this app, and the item you tried to access is not available" error while attempting to make setting changes in the areas of Virus & Threat Protection or Device Security. This message means that administrative policies have restricted some parts of the Windows Security application, and you cannot view those parts.

If applicable, select Work or School account, then Delete.

Note: You will no longer be able to access any resources, applications, and files that were connected to your work or school account after you have deleted the account. Note that deleting this account could also affect email or cloud services attached to the account. Keep these things in mind as you move forward:.

Group policies and restrictions set by your organization on its groups may limit the things you can access because you use your work or school account on your computer. Such errors arise because these policies override your individual preferences. The moment you sign out using your work or school account, you cut the connection that your computer has with your company's rules and regulations.

Press Windows + I to open Settings menu.

Lookup Accounts.

In the left pane, click Access work or school.

Click the account you want to remove to highlight it, and then click Disconnect to confirm. Once you click Disconnect, restart your computer completely for it to take effect.

2. Verify and Modify Group Policy (Office 365 Pro and Enterprise)

Namely, only the Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows have the Local Group Policy Editor gpedit.msc included. If you are on a Windows Home edition, then this procedure does not apply to you since you will never have the Group Policy Editor. You could look at possible alternatives or upgrade your copy to an appropriate version of Windows if management of Group Policy applies to your needs.

Group policies are one of the ways that organisations can enforce limitations across multiple platforms. Sometimes, because a user's device had been in a managed environment previously, or sometimes even due to inadvertently set policies, users are not able to access their security settings. You are able to reinstate Windows Defender and other Windows Security features to you by modifying these policies.

Open the Run dialog with the Windows key + R.

Once you have typed gpedit.msc, press the Enter key.

In Computer Configuration, go to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

If it is not turned off, double-click on Turn off and set it as Disabled.

Double-click on Allow Antimalware Service to start with regular priority.

Finally, shut down your PC.

3. erase restricted registry keys-usable by power user only

Note: Windows Registry editing may result in data loss or system destabilization. You should, by all means, make a system restore point or registry backup before you proceed.

Some of the settings and group policies may be set, via these registry entries, by the former organizational administration to restrict your access to certain sections of the Windows Security. You can remove such restrictions by removing some entries related to Windows Security policies.

But consider the bigger picture and how these removals might affect things. Before deleting a registry key, make certain you know what it does. If you are not sure, do some research online or consult an expert.

Please backup your registry before trying this process. First, open registry editor. Then, go to File > Export. Next, save the file wherever you like.

Under the search box, locate Command Prompt and right-click to select Run as administrator.

Press Enter after each of the following commands to input them. If these constraints are due to registry policies, then you can clear them with the following commands. Regex-delete "HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPolicies" /f, "HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsSelfHost" /f, "HKLMSoftwarePolicies" /f, "HKLMSoftwareWOW6432NodeMicrosoftPolicies" /f, "HKLMSoftwareWOW6432NodeMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPolicies" /f, and "HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsDefender" /v, disable anti-spyware functionality. The following registry keys should be deleted: "HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPolicies" and "HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsSelfHost" as well as "HKCUSoftwarePolicies" and "HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftPolicies" at the registry level itself.

If this problem persists after you have run all of these tasks, restart your computer.

4. Disable Any Third-Party Antivirus Programs

Third-party antivirus products often hijack your Windows Security to avoid any incompatibility between their system and yours, hence limiting your access to some parts of the Windows Security. If you want Windows Defender and other security mechanisms to be in charge once more, you need to uninstall these third-party programs.

Open the Control Panel using the search bar.

Under Programs, click on Programs and Features.

Open your computer list of applications installed. Select the antivirus program that you want; follow that by clicking the Uninstall button. Follow on-screen options that may pop up to complete the uninstallation process. Then restart your computer.

We hope this guide helps you effectively with "Your IT administrator has limited access". Without further ado, we say goodbye until next time.