How to Disable the Windows 10 ‘Let apps access my local file system’ Option

The Universal File Scanner

In modern versions of Windows 10, Microsoft introduced strict privacy controls governing how Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps—those downloaded from the Microsoft Store—interact with your data. By default, these apps run in a sandboxed environment, meaning they can only access the specific files you explicitly open within them, or they can request access to isolated libraries like “Pictures” or “Documents.” However, there is a master override setting called “Let apps access my local file system.”

When you enable this overarching permission, you are essentially breaking the sandbox. An authorized Microsoft Store app gains the ability to read, scan, and potentially modify *any* file on your C: drive that your user account has permission to see. It can silently index your hidden AppData folders, read configuration files in the root directory, and scan custom folders you’ve created outside the standard Windows libraries. While a specialized disk utility or a complex system backup tool requires this level of deep access to function, granting it to a standard media player, a game, or a basic productivity app is a massive security and privacy vulnerability. To enforce strict sandboxing, you should ensure this global permission is revoked.

How to Revoke Global File System Access

You can instantly block all Microsoft Store applications from freely roaming your hard drive via the Privacy settings.

1. Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press Win + I).
2. Click on the Privacy category.
3. Look at the left-hand sidebar, scroll all the way down to the “App permissions” section, and click on File system.
4. In the right-hand pane, locate the master toggle switch situated immediately underneath the text Let apps access my file system (or “Allow apps to access your file system”).
5. Click the toggle switch to turn it Off.

Once disabled, Windows will force all Store apps back into their secure sandboxes. (Note: You can still manually grant an app temporary access to any specific file on your hard drive by manually selecting it through a standard “File -> Open” dialog box).