How To Turn Off Inheriting Permissions In Windows 10?

Ever since the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has focused a lot on security features and maintaining the privacy of the users. This is partially achieved through permissions in Windows 10. Let us take a deeper look into Windows permissions, and how to turn off inheriting permissions.

Permissions In Windows 10; Explicit Vs Inheriting Permissions

The concept of permissions started with Windows NT 4.0 SP 6. By default, the TrustedInstaller user owns the system files, folders, and registry keys, and all other users on a Windows 10 PC are only allowed to read the said files. This is where permissions come into play.

As the name suggests, permissions directly translate to the level of control each user has on files and folders in Windows. Permissions in Windows is handled in one of the two ways: explicit or inherited.

Explicit permissions refer to the default permissions that are set when the item is created, or the user takes an action on the item.

Inherited permissions refer to the permissions that are handed down to a child object that is part of a parent folder.

For example, when you create a folder, you set some explicit permissions for it. All the files and folders inside this created folder will now inherit the permissions that is set for the parent folder. This same concept applies for and extends to many different sections of Windows.

How To Turn Off Inheriting Permissions?

Also read: How to take ownership in Windows 10

If you do not like the way inheriting permissions work and want to customize Windows to grant explicit permissions, you will need to modify the security section of the folder properties. Here is a deeper look at how you can do this:

1. Open File Explorer using the keyboard shortcut Win + E.
2. Navigate to the folder that you wish to change the permissions for using the appropriate options.
3. Once you open the folder, right click in any empty space and select Properties from the context menu.
4. Switch over to the Security tab.
5. Near the bottom of the window, click on the Advanced button.
   This will open the Advanced Security Settings window for the folder.

6. Near the bottom of the window, you will find a button that says, ‘Disable inheritance’.

7. Click on this button to change the permissions. You will be prompted with a confirmation dialog, which asks what you want to do with the existing permissions.
8. You can choose to convert the inherited permissions into explicit permissions or remove all items in the object that gained inheriting permissions.
9. Finally click Apply followed the OK button to save your changes.

Note 1: In the future, if you want to enable inheritance for the folder, follow the steps again and you will find the following option: Enable inheritance

Note 2: In file explorer, if you are changing permissions for a folder, you can click to uncheck the additional menu that says ‘Replace all child object permission entries with inherent permissions from this object’ before saving the advanced Security Settings. This will replace the inherent permissions with explicit permissions for all the child folders.

How To Turn Off Inheriting Permissions In Registry Editor?

The permissions classification applies to the Windows registry as well. The subkeys under a registry key will inherit the permissions. However, subkeys can have explicit permissions as well. This comes in very handy if you want to restrict certain features for different users on a computer.

If you want to change the subkey permissions to one separate from the parent key, follow these steps:

1. Open a Run dialog using either the Win + R combination or using the Search bar.
2. Navigate to the registry key for which you wish to change the permissions.
3. Right click on the key in the left pane to reveal an additional menu.
4. Select Permissions from the context menu.

5. In the Permissions dialog that opens, click on the Advanced button near the bottom of the window.
   This will open the Advanced Security Settings window for the registry key that you selected.
6. Near the bottom of the window, you will find a button that says, ‘Disable inheritance’.

7. Next, click to uncheck the additional option that says ‘Replace all child object permission entries with inherent permissions from this object’ to change the existing permissions to explicit permissions.
8. Click on Apply followed by OK to save the changes to permissions.
9. Restart your computer to implement the changes to your computer.

Turn Off Option For Inheriting Permissions Using Command Prompt

Also read: How to open registry editor in CMD

If you are more comfortable using the command prompt for making changes to your computer, you can use the icacls command that is used to modify discretionary access control lists on Windows files. Follow these instructions for the same:

1. Open an elevated command prompt. For this, open Windows Search or a Run dialog using Win + S or R respectively. Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch a command prompt window with administrative privileges.
2. Type the following command and press Enter to replace the inherited permissions for a file or folder with explicit permissions:
   icacls “<enter_full_pathname>” /inheritance:d
3. Type the following command and press Enter to remove the permissions allotted to a file or folder:
   icacls “<enter_full_pathname>” /inheritance:r
4. To enable inherited permissions, enter the following command:
   icacls “<enter_full_pathname>” /inheritance:e

Note: Replace <enter_full_pathname> with the path to the file, folder or subfolder for which you wish to edit the registry.

Wrapping Up

When you toggle inheritance on or off, the previously applied explicit permissions will not be affected. Also, do note that in case you have applied explicit permissions to some file or folder while other permissions are being inherited, the explicit permissions will have precedence over the inherited permissions. So, there you have it. Now you know how to turn off inheriting permissions using the methods provided above. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.