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When XP clients move files on the same volume, the permissions are moved with it. With Windows 7 clients and up, when a file is moved, the permissions are inherited.

Unfortunately, we still have a lot of Windows XP clients which after time causes our file server to be a bit of a mess. What is the best way to recursively go through an entire volume and reset file permissions (not directory) so that they inherit their parent directory. Can XCALCS do this?

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    How about right-clicking each parent directory, going to Properties, then Security tab, then click Advanced, then click Change Permissions, then check that checkbox that says "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object"?
    – Ryan Ries
    Sep 9, 2013 at 17:21
  • @RyanRies Put this as answer.
    – Lorenz Meyer
    Sep 9, 2013 at 18:05
  • I just used this to recursively enable inheritance: icacls "C:\someFolderWithSubfolders" /inheritance:e /T
    – Zar Shardan
    Oct 27, 2018 at 13:47

2 Answers 2

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How about right-clicking each parent directory, going to Properties, then Security tab, then click Advanced, then click Change Permissions, then check that checkbox that says "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object"?

If you have a ton of parent directories and you want to script this instead of doing it by hand:

icacls "c:\parentDirectory\*" /q /c /t /reset

Shoud have the same effect as clicking the Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object checkbox.

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  • Manually right clicking is definitely not going to work, too many random directories. The icacls thing is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.
    – Ryan Mortier
    Sep 9, 2013 at 21:05
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Combine these 2 commands on elevated CMD or PowerShell: 

takeown  /f  C:\Windows\CSC\v2.0.6\namespace\  /r
icacls  C:\Windows\CSC\v2.0.6\namespace\ /t  /grant everyone:F
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  • Granting everyone full control over a subdirectory of Windows is not what the original poster wanted to know how to do. In fact, it opens up a security hole so wide that any locally-authenticated user can drive a proverbial Mack truck through it.
    – sjcaged
    May 9, 2020 at 11:21
  • Locally-authenticated users is the Authenticated Users group. Everyone means literally that...everyone globally, even users who are not members of the current domain.
    – Nilpo
    Aug 25, 2020 at 10:22

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