How to Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows

If you’re encountering access issues with a file or folder in Windows, it’s likely due to permissions. This can happen if the file was created by another user or copied from a different device. The solution is to change the ownership of the file or folder. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do it step by step.

Step 1: Open File or Folder Properties

Locate the file or folder you need, right-click on it, and select “Properties”. In the Properties window, go to the “Security” tab.

Step 2: Change the Owner

  1. Click on the “Advanced” button.
  2. In the “Advanced Security Settings” window, click on the “Change” link next to the “Owner” field.
  3. In the new window, enter the username or group you want to assign as the owner, and click “OK”.

Step 3: Apply the Changes

After changing the owner, check the box for “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects” if you want to change the owner for all nested files and folders. Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.

Step 4: Set Permissions

Once the ownership is changed, you may also need to adjust permissions for the user. Go back to the “Security” tab and click “Edit”. Add the new user and assign the necessary permissions (read, write, etc.).

Using Command Prompt

You can also change the ownership using Command Prompt:

takeown /F "path_to_file_or_folder" /R /D Y
icacls "path_to_file_or_folder" /grant %username%:F

The takeown command changes the ownership, while icacls grants full permissions to the current user.