How to fix "The WS-Management service cannot process the request. An 'access denied' error was received when connecting to the WMI service on the computer specified."

The Windows error "The WS-Management service cannot process the request. An 'access denied' error was received when connecting to the WMI service on the computer specified" occurs when Windows Remote Management (WinRM) lacks the necessary permissions to access the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) namespace on the target machine, even if the user account has administrator privileges.

Error Description

When executing remote management commands (such as PowerShell Remoting or using server management tools), the WS-Management service acts as the communication layer, while WMI provides the system data. If the security descriptor of the WMI namespace (typically Root\CIMV2) does not explicitly grant Remote Enable and Account Enable permissions to the connecting user or group, the system blocks the connection and throws this specific access denied error.

Step-by-Step Fix

Follow these steps on the target computer (the machine you are trying to connect to) to grant WinRM the required access to the WMI namespace.

Step 1: Open WMI Control

1. Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type wmimgmt.msc into the text field and press Enter. This will open the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Control console.

Step 2: Access WMI Properties

1. In the left pane of the WMI Control window, right-click on WMI Control (Local).
2. Select Properties from the context menu.

Step 3: Navigate to Security Settings

1. In the WMI Control Properties window, click on the Security tab at the top.
2. Expand the folder tree by clicking the arrows next to Root and locate the CIMV2 folder.
3. Click on the CIMV2 folder to highlight it.
4. Click the Security button located at the bottom right of the window.

Step 4: Grant Permissions to the User or Group

1. In the Security for Root\CIMV2 window, look for the user or group you are using to connect (e.g., Administrators or a specific service account).
2. If the user or group is not in the list, click the Add... button, type the object name, and click OK.
3. Select the target user or group from the list.
4. In the permissions panel below, check the box for Allow next to the following permissions:
   • Execute Methods
   • Enable Account
   • Remote Enable
5. Click the Advanced button to ensure permissions cascade properly.

Step 5: Configure Advanced Permission Inheritance

1. In the Advanced Security Settings window, select the user or group you just modified and click Edit.
2. Ensure the Applies to dropdown menu is set to This namespace and subnamespaces.
3. Verify that Execute Methods, Enable Account, and Remote Enable are checked.
4. Click OK on the permission entry window.
5. Click Apply and then OK on the Advanced Security Settings window.
6. Click OK on the remaining WMI properties windows to save all changes.

Step 6: Restart the WinRM and WMI Services

1. Press the Windows Key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Locate the Windows Management Instrumentation service, right-click it, and select Restart.
3. Locate the Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) service, right-click it, and select Restart.