Set, view, change, or remove permissions on files and folders

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To set, view, change, or remove permissions on files and folders

  1. Open Windows Explorer.

  2. Right-click the file or folder for which you want to set permissions, click Properties, and then click the Security tab.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To set permissions for a group or user that does not appear in the Group or user names box, click Add. Type the name of the group or user you want to set permissions for and then click OK.

    • To change or remove permissions from an existing group or user, click the name of the group or user.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • To allow or deny a permission, in the Permissions for User or Group box, select the Allow or Deny check box.

    • To remove the group or user from the Group or user names box, click Remove.

Notes

  • To open Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.

  • In the Windows ServerĀ 2003 family, the Everyone group no longer includes Anonymous Logon.

  • You can only set file and folder permissions on drives formatted to use NTFS.

  • To change permissions, you must be the owner or have been granted permission to do so by the owner.

  • Groups or users that are granted Full Control for a folder can delete files and subfolders within that folder, regardless of the permissions that protect the files and subfolders.

  • If the check boxes under Permissions for User or Group are shaded or if the Remove button is unavailable, then the file or folder has inherited permissions from the parent folder. For more information on how inheritance affects files and folders, see Related Topics.

  • When adding a new user or group, by default, this user or group will have ReadĀ & Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read permissions.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

View effective permissions on files and folders
Set, view, change, or remove special permissions
File and folder permissions
How inheritance affects file and folder permissions
Command-line reference A-Z
Permissions