Permission error on shapefiles after switching to ArcGIS Pro 3.5.2.

Question

Good day all

I have recently switched to ArcGIS Pro 3.5.2 and now I am receiving a "User does not have permission to execute the operation" error when editing most of my shapefiles. These shapefiles are shapefiles I have created and are stored locally on a computer for which I am the administrator. Usually, I can do a couple of edits before I get the permissions error, though some shapefiles immediately give this error.

Reloading the shapefile, restarting the map instance or my computer doesn't resolve the issue. If I export or copy it elsewhere with the same name, it keeps giving the error. If I export or copy it with a new name, I can then do a couple of more edits before again running into the same error.

Is there a cache or permissions setting somewhere in 3.5.2 that I am missing?

Thanks

ChenaySimms1 · Answer

Hi Daniel

Thanks for the feedback.

How long is the name of the shapefile, does it have any special characters? - My file names are well within the best practices guideline - short, no spaces or special characters. Also, the exact same file name worked perfectly in 3.4.

Could this file be open in another location or by another user? - No, these files are local to my computer and are not accessible to other users. I also tried a computer restart in case there was an instance hanging somewhere.

Avoid Using the Same Name

* When exporting or copying, use a new name and avoid overwriting existing files - these files are used in a model so need to retain the same name. That is why I tried saving them in a different location with the same name or in the same location with a different name, deleted the "locked file" and either moved the new file back or renamed the version 2. But there seemed to be a cache issue as any variation of location/copy that ended up with the same name gave the permissions issue.

Disable Background Processing

* Go to Geoprocessing → Options and uncheck “Enable background processing.” - didn't seem to make an immediate difference

Run ArcGIS Pro as Administrator:

* Even if you're the system admin, this can help bypass permission-related quirks. - have not tried this yet but would be an issue if my other users who are not system administrators run into the same problem.

Convert to File Geodatabase Format:

* Shapefiles are fragile. Try converting to a .gdb feature class using the “Feature Class to Feature Class” tool. - for operational reasons we generally work with shapefiles. I did end up using this option already to complete my urgent edits and so far I have not yet encountered the problem. But it would mean redoing workflows if shapefiles can no longer be edited in ArcGIS Pro.

Clear Local Cache - I will try this as well.

* Navigate to %localappdata%\ESRI\Local Caches and delete contents.
* Also clear %localappdata%\Temp\ArcGISProTemp*.

Thanks again for the assitance.

DanielFox1 · Answer

Hi @ChenaySimms1

How long is the name of the shapefile, does it have any special characters?

Could this file be open in another location or by another user?

Avoid Using the Same Name

* When exporting or copying, use a new name and avoid overwriting existing files

Disable Background Processing

* Go to Geoprocessing → Options and uncheck “Enable background processing.”

Run ArcGIS Pro as Administrator:

* Even if you're the system admin, this can help bypass permission-related quirks.

Convert to File Geodatabase Format:

* Shapefiles are fragile. Try converting to a .gdb feature class using the “Feature Class to Feature Class” tool.

Clear Local Cache

* Navigate to %localappdata%\ESRI\Local Caches and delete contents.
* Also clear %localappdata%\Temp\ArcGISProTemp*.