To edit permissions in Windows 10, right-click the file or folder, select Properties, then open the Security tab. Use Edit for basic access rules or Advanced to change ownership and manage inheritance.
A Windows 10 PC secures files and folders through NTFS permissions, and you manage them from the item’s Properties dialog. The Security tab gives you control over who can read, write, or run an object. This covers the three ways to edit those permissions: the simple checkbox view, the advanced panel for ownership and inheritance, and the icacls command line for batch jobs.
How to Edit Permissions in Windows 10 Using the Security Tab
The standard UI route is the quickest way to grant or remove basic access rights. It applies to files, folders, and whole drives formatted with NTFS.
- Right-click the file or folder and choose Properties.
- Open the Security tab. The top box shows group or user names that already have permissions.
- Click Edit to open the permissions dialog. Select the user or group you want to adjust.
- Check or uncheck the Allow or Deny boxes for each permission level (Full Control, Modify, Read, Write, etc.).
- Click Apply, then OK. The change takes effect immediately.
The Applying Security Information window appears briefly, then closes. Reopen the Security tab to confirm the new settings are listed.
Using Advanced Security Settings for Ownership and Inheritance
The basic dialog covers the most common access levels, but the Advanced button opens a panel for deeper changes: taking ownership, breaking inheritance, or setting precise rules that do not appear in the simple checkboxes.
- Owner: Current owner appears at the top. Click Change to transfer ownership to another user or group.
- Permission entries: Each entry shows its type (Allow/Deny), principal, access level, and whether it is inherited. Select an entry and hit Edit to see special permissions like Traverse Folder or Delete Subfolders and Files.
- Disable inheritance: Click this button to stop the folder from inheriting permissions from its parent. You can then either convert inherited permissions into explicit ones or remove them entirely and start fresh.
Gate to watch: Changing ownership requires the Take ownership privilege or an administrator account. Standard users will see the option greyed out until an admin takes ownership first.
Editing Permissions from the Command Line with icacls
When you need to change permissions on a folder tree or script the process, the icacls utility is faster than clicking through dozens of dialogs. Run Command Prompt or Windows Terminal as administrator.
icacls "C:\ProjectFolder" /grant "Domain\User":(OI)(CI)F /t
This grants Full Control to the user recursively. The flags matter: (OI) applies to objects inside the folder, (CI) applies to child containers, and /t runs the command against all subfolders. Replace /grant with /deny to block access, or use /remove to delete an entry entirely.
Safety caveat: icacls does not ask for confirmation. A wrong /deny on a system folder can lock everyone out. Test the command on a single test file or use /c to continue on errors without stopping the whole batch.
| Permission Level | What It Allows | When to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Full Control | Read, write, execute, delete, change permissions, take ownership | Only for users who need total authority over the object |
| Modify | Read, write, execute, and delete, but cannot change permissions | Editors who need to update files and delete them |
| Read & Execute | View contents, open files, and run programs | Users who need to use an application or view a folder |
| List Folder Contents | See the names of files and subfolders only | Navigators who should not open the files themselves |
| Read | View and open files and folders | Default for most non-admin users |
| Write | Create new files and subfolders, modify file content | Contributors who add data to a shared folder |
How Account Type Affects What You Can Edit
NTFS permissions control access to objects. Account type controls access to the system itself. You can have full NTFS rights to a file, but if your Windows account is set to Standard User, you cannot change the owner on that file without an admin stepping in.
To check or change an account’s type, open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users. Select the account, choose Change account type, and switch between Standard and Administrator. This affects system-level rights, not the fine-grained permissions on individual files.
Why Is the Edit Permissions Button Greyed Out?
This is the most common sign that inheritance or ownership is blocking you. If the Edit button is unavailable, you likely do not own the file, or the permissions are inherited from a parent folder. Open Advanced Security to check the Owner field. If it shows a different user, take ownership first, then return to the Security tab. If the permission entries all say “Inherited from parent,” you can disable inheritance in Advanced to make the object independent.
| Common Mistake | Why It Carries Risk | Safer Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Granting Full Control for simple tasks | Lets users delete files and change permissions | Use Modify or Write instead |
| Ignoring inheritance when editing a folder | Changes may propagate unexpectedly to subitems or fail to stick | Review the “Inherited from” column in Advanced first |
| Trying to edit permissions on a FAT drive | NTFS permissions do not apply to FAT file systems | Convert the drive to NTFS or use the FAT drive for non-sensitive shares |
| Running the GUI without admin rights | Many permission changes are blocked for standard users | Open File Explorer as administrator before browsing to the object |
Finish With the Right Method for the Job
Your choice depends on the scope and depth of the change. For a single file or folder, the Security tab is the right tool. When you need control over ownership or inheritance, the Advanced panel gives you those knobs. For scripting or recursive batches across a folder tree, icacls is faster than any GUI. Before any change, confirm you are signed in as an administrator and check whether inheritance is already enforcing rules on the object.
References & Sources
- Microsoft Learn. “How do I set up user accounts and manage permissions in Windows?” Official guidance on account types and file/folder permission workflows.