Cannot Change Record Ownership in Salesforce: Troubleshooting Insufficient Privileges Error

This article explains why you cannot change record ownership in Salesforce and get an insufficient privileges error, and how to diagnose the cause. Record ownership changes can fail due to missing Transfer Record permissions, restricted object access, active validation rules, or Apex triggers. Follow these steps to diagnose and resolve the issue.

Step 1: Check Transfer Record Permissions for the Affected Object

Make sure that the following permissions are present on the user's profile or permission set assignments for the affected object:

• The 'Transfer Record' / 'Transfer Leads' / 'Transfer Cases' permission is enabled.
• The user has Read/Write access to the record.
• The user is either the owner of the record or has the record shared with them in some fashion, such as via role hierarchy or sharing rules.
• If the user is neither the owner nor has the record shared with them, the 'Modify All Data' permission or the Transfer Record permission is required.

Step 2: Check Validation Rules That Block Ownership Changes

If the user's profile has the above rights but they are still unable to change ownership, check the validation rules on the object.

How to Find Validation Rules in Salesforce Classic

For standard objects, go to Setup | Customize | name of object | Validation Rules. For custom objects, go to Setup | Create | Objects | name of object | Validation Rules.

If 'Enable Improved Setup User Interface' is enabled, Setup is under your name. Use the following paths:

• Standard objects: Name | Setup | App Setup | Customize | name of object | Validation Rules
• Custom objects: Name | Setup | App Setup | Create | Objects | name of object | Validation Rules

How to Find Validation Rules in Lightning Experience

Go to Gear icon | Setup | Object Manager | Object | Validation Rules.

What a Blocking Validation Rule Looks Like

Check for any validation rule that looks like this:

• Name: "Record_Owner_Cannot_Change_after_Closed".
• Error Conditional Formula: ISCHANGED( OwnerId ).

If you find one, ask the user to contact their System Administrator and deactivate the validation rule for a short period of time so they can try to transfer ownership.

Step 3: Check Apex Triggers on the Affected Object

Check for any triggers on the affected object. If you find one, ask the user to contact their Salesforce system administrator and have them deactivate the trigger.