Folder Permissions

How to Change Folder Permissions

Info: If you have multiple users on your computer, and there are specific folders that you do not want them to access (perhaps because they contain sensitive information of some sort), then this will show you how to modify the permissions of a folder so that only you can access them.

WARNING: Do not perform this procedure on a drive root (C:\, D:\, etc.), because you may not be able to easily restore the default permissions later. Incorrectly modifying the permissions of a drive root folder could render that drive inaccessible and could lead to data loss.


Option One
To Make a Folder Private:
1.
Open Windows Explorer.
2. Navigate to the drive or folder containing the folder for which you want to modify the permissions.
3. Right-click on the folder, and select properties.
4. Click the "Security" tab:
ClickSecurityTab.jpg

5. Click the "Advanced" button to open the "Advanced Security Settings" window
6. Click the "Edit..." button.
7. Remove the check from "Include inheritable permissions from this objects parent". This will bring up a "Windows Security" prompt - click "Copy".
8. Click "OK".
9. Click "OK".
AdvancedSecuritySettings.jpg

10. Click "Edit..." to open the "Permissions for ..." window
11. Click "Add..."
12. Click "Advanced..."
13. Click "Find Now"
14. In the "Search Results" window, locate your user name, and click it once to highlight it
15. Click "OK"
16. Click "OK"
SelectUsersOrGroups.jpg

17. The user name you just added should be highlighted in the "Group or user names" list. If it is not, then click it once to highlight it.
18. Add a check to the box labelled "Full Control"
19. Click "OK"
20. Click "OK" again to close the "Properties" window
FullControl.jpg

21. Right-click on the folder again, and select "Properties", then click the "Security" tab
22. Click "Edit"
23. Click the "Users (COMPUTERNAME\Users)" item to highlight it, then click "Remove"
24. OPTIONAL: Click the "Administrators (COMPUTERNAME\Administrators)" item to highlight it, then click "Remove"
25. Click "OK"
RemoveUsersGroup.jpg

26. Click "OK" to close the "Properties" window.

The folder, and all the files it contains will now only be accessible by you when you are logged in with your own user account.


Option Two
To Restore Inherited Permissions:
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Navigate to the drive or folder containing the folder for which you want to modify the permissions.
3. Right-click on the folder, and select properties.
4. Click the "Security" tab:
ClickSecurityTab.jpg

5. Click the "Advanced" button to open the "Advanced Security Settings" window
6. Click the "Edit..." button.
7. Add a check to "Include inheritable permissions from this objects parent". This will bring up a "Windows Security" prompt - click "Copy".
8. Add a check to "Replace all existing inheritable permissions on all descendants..."
9. Click "OK"
10. Click "Yes" to the "Windows Security" prompt asking if you want to continue.
11. Click "OK"
12. Click "Edit..."
13. Click your user name in the "Group or user names" list, then click "Remove"
14. If you had previously added other users in addition to yourself, then repeat step 13 above for all those users. Leave "Authenticated Users", "SYSTEM", "Administrators" and "Users" in the "Group or user names" list.
15. Click "OK"
RemoveYourUserAccount.jpg

16. Click "OK"



 

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Last edited by a moderator:
Hi. I wish I have read this thread before I did something on my vista drives.
I tried to modify some permissions on my root drives. The "authenticated users" entry or group has been removed. I wasn't gonna remove it, I just edited it, removed all the check marks, and when I clicked "OK", the "Authenticated Users" was gone in the list.

My question is, how do I restore that entry? I wanted to reset what I did, so that I can restrict a drive or folder to the "limited" or standard users in my Vista System.

Thanks
 

My Computer

Hi there,
I have actually followed this tutorial to deny all permissions to a standard account but the problem is, when I tried to test it I noticed that I can still take the ownership of the folder from the Administrator account and therefore change the permission settings to gain full access to the contents of that folder..!?
I have also noticed that when I login as a standard account user I can easily change its type to an administrator account through “User Accounts” in Control Panel..?!
Is that normal?


Thanks.
 

My Computer

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