How to Change File and Folder Permissions in Windows 10

To change permissions in Windows 10, right-click the file or folder and select Properties. On the Security tab, select Edit, choose a user or group, and check Allow or Deny for each permission. Then select OK.

Applies to: Windows 10. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and only PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates still get security fixes, through October 12, 2027.

Change permissions in File Explorer

1. Right-click the file or folder and select Properties.
2. Select the Security tab, then Edit.
3. Select the user or group. To add someone, select Add, type their name, select Check Names, then OK.
4. Check Allow or Deny next to each permission, like Full control, Modify or Read.
5. Select OK, then OK again.

If you change a folder, Windows applies the change to the files inside it too.

What each permission means

• Full control: do anything, including change permissions.
• Modify: read, change and delete.
• Read & execute: open files and run programs.
• Read: open and view only.
• Write: add files and change content, but not delete.
• List folder contents: see the names of files in a folder without opening them (folders only).
• Special permissions: a mix set on the Advanced screen. The box is ticked when any advanced permission doesn’t fit the standard ones.

Deny wins over Allow. Use it carefully, because it can lock you out too.

Change permissions with icacls

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. To give a user Modify permission on a folder and everything in it, run:

icacls "C:\Projects" /grant Jordan:(OI)(CI)M

3. To see the current permissions, run icacls "C:\Projects".

(OI)(CI) makes the change apply to files and subfolders. M is Modify, F is Full control and R is Read.

Take ownership of a file or folder

You can only change permissions on items you own or have Full control of. If Windows blocks you, take ownership first. You need an administrator account for this.

1. Right-click the file or folder and choose Properties.
2. Open the Security tab and click Advanced.
3. Next to Owner, click Change.
4. Type your user name, click Check Names, then click OK.
5. For a folder, tick Replace owner on subcontainers and objects.
6. Click Apply, then OK. Close and reopen Properties before you edit permissions.

From an administrator Command Prompt, takeown /f "C:\Projects" /r /d y does the same thing for a folder and everything inside it.

Turn off permission inheritance

By default, a file or folder inherits its permissions from the folder above it. Inherited entries show greyed-out checkboxes that you can’t untick. To set permissions that differ from the parent:

1. Open Properties > Security > Advanced.
2. Click Disable inheritance.
3. Choose Convert inherited permissions into explicit permissions on this object. This keeps the current entries but lets you edit them.
4. Remove or change the entries you want, then click Apply.

Be careful about removing SYSTEM or Administrators. Backup tools, antivirus and Windows itself may need that access.

Set advanced or folder-only permissions

The basic checkboxes always apply to a folder and everything inside it. For finer control:

1. Open Properties > Security > Advanced.
2. Select Add, then Select a principal, and choose the user or group. Or select an existing entry and choose Edit.
3. Use Applies to to pick where it counts, such as This folder only or Files only.
4. Select Show advanced permissions to pick individual rights, such as Create files / write data without Delete, so someone can add files but not remove them.
5. Select OK, then Apply.

Check what access a user really has

A user can get permissions from more than one place, such as their own account and a group they belong to. To see the combined result, open Security > Advanced > Effective Access, click Select a user, pick the account, and click View effective access.

Troubleshooting permission problems

• The checkboxes are greyed out. The permission is inherited. Change it on the parent folder or turn off inheritance as shown above.
• You gave a user access but they still can’t open the file. Look for a Deny entry. Deny entries usually win over Allow entries, including ones that come from a group.
• The folder is shared and network users still get blocked. Shared folders also have share permissions under Sharing > Advanced Sharing > Permissions. Over the network, the stricter of the two sets applies.
• You broke permissions and want to start over. Run icacls "C:\Projects" /reset /t /c as an administrator. It replaces explicit entries with the ones inherited from the parent folder.
• Changes take a long time on a big folder. Windows applies the change to every file inside. Let it finish rather than cancelling halfway, which can leave mixed permissions.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Security tab missing?

The drive may use FAT32 or exFAT, which don’t have permissions. This is common on USB drives.

I get “Access denied” when I change permissions. What should I do?

You need administrator rights, so sign in as an administrator or run the program as administrator. If you still can’t, the owner of the file may need to change it.

How do I delete a file I don’t have permission for?

Take ownership first, as shown above. If the file still won’t go, you can force delete it.

What is the difference between Modify and Full control?

Modify lets a user read, change and delete files. Full control adds the right to change permissions and take ownership. Most users only need Modify.

Are the steps the same in Windows 11?

Yes. The Security tab, Advanced settings and icacls work the same way in Windows 11.

Every icacls switch is listed in Microsoft’s icacls command reference.

On a newer PC, changing file permissions in Windows 11 uses the same screens.