Whenever you create a new file or folder, the Windows operating system will assign it a set of default permissions. These are called Effective Permissions. The user who creates the file or folder can also change and assign specific permissions to it. This article will discuss in brief what are Effective Permissions for Files and Folders, in Windows and tell you how to view them, for any user or user group.
Effective Permissions for Users and User Groups
As mentioned, Effective Permissions is a set of permissions for any user or user group to access the file or folder. Windows sets permissions for each file or folder object to secure the user’s contents. It grants users specific user rights, allowing the user or user group to read, modify, delete, etc the object. The minimum permission is the Read permission.
This chart, sourced from Windows Help, lists the access limitations for each set of special permissions.
View Effective Permissions for User or User Groups
To view the Effective Permissions for any files or folders, right-click on it and select Properties, and click on the Security tab.
Next, click on the Advanced button and then on the Effective Access tab.
Now click on Select a user.
Here, enter the name of a user or user group and click on Check Names > OK.
Click the View effective access button.
All or some of the checkboxes will automatically get selected. These will indicate the effective permissions of the particular user or user group for that file or folder.
Read: You don’t currently have permission to access this folder or file.
Effective Permissions Tool
If you want to find out what permissions a user or group has on an object, you can use the Effective Permissions tool. It calculates the permissions that are granted to the specified user or group. The calculation includes the permissions in effect from group membership and any permissions inherited from the parent object. It looks up all domain and local groups in which the user or group is a member.
- AccessChk is a command-line tool for viewing the effective permissions on files, registry keys, services, processes, kernel objects, and more. This tool may interest you too.
- NTFS Permissions Tool lets you Set File and Folder Permissions for System Files. It has a nice UI.
- Permissions Time Machine will help you remove File Access Denied or Access is Denied error messages.
You can read more on managing file and folder permissions in Windows and Server at TechNet.
You may now want to see how to reset NTFS file permissions in Windows.
What are the standard permission types applied to files & folders in Windows?
In Windows 11/10, the standard permission types applied to files and folders are Full Control, Modify, Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, Read, and Write. These permissions can be applied individually or in combination to grant users varying levels of access to files and folders. Additionally, these permissions offer flexible access control as they can be specified at the user level or group level.
Which type of permission should you set to control access to files and folders?
To control access to files and folders in Windows 11/10, assign permissions based on user needs. For example, assign Full Control sparingly, typically to trusted users who need complete access to read, write, modify, or manage permissions for files and folders. Assign Modify to users who need to read, write, and delete files but not change permissions or take ownership. Read & Execute is ideal for users who need to open and run files or programs but should not modify or delete them. List Folder Contents is for viewing file names, Read for viewing content without changes, and Write for adding or modifying files without deleting them.
Read Next: How to take full Ownership of Files & Folders in Windows.
