Changing User Permissions for a File

Written by Barry Dysert (last updated November 25, 2019)

In Windows, every file has an associated security profile that determines who is allowed access to the file, and what kind of access (e.g., read or write) a user is entitled to. If you are an administrator or have Control access to the file, you can change the file's permissions, thereby allowing or denying certain types of access to the file.

To see a file's permissions, right-click on the file and choose Properties. Windows displays the Properties dialog box, in which you should display the Security tab. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Permissions of

This particular screen shot shows that for user "Test", they have Read & execute, List Folder Contents, and Read access to the file "a.xlsx". To deny that user access to "a.xlsx", click the Edit button, and again select user Test. You then have the option to change the permissions. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. Editing permissions of

Using the controls in the Permissions dialog box you can modify what the selected user or group can do with the file. For instance, if you want to stop the Test user from opening the a.xlsx file, all you need to do is click the checkboxes in the Deny column for both Read & Execute and Read. When you apply the changes, any subsequent attempts by the Test user to open the file result in an error message. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3. User Test's denial of access to

 This tip (5827) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

MORE FROM BARRY

Adjusting the Mouse Double-Click Speed

Sometimes your finger is either too fast or too slow to get the proper response from a mouse double click. This tip tells ...

Discover More

Toggl

If you want a simple, unobtrusive time-tracking utility to keep track of time you spend on various tasks, Toggl is the ...

Discover More

Renaming Files Using the Command Line

The rename command can really be a timesaver over trying to do the similar sort of thing with Windows Explorer. You can ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Getting Rid of Old Windows Updates

Microsoft is constantly updating Windows for various reasons. For most people, those updates are downloaded and installed ...

Discover More

Using Sync Center

Sync Center is a centralized place where you can deal with your offline files. You can do a manual sync, set up a sync ...

Discover More

Defragmenting a Hard Drive

As files are added, removed, and edited on a hard drive, the files and the disk itself become fragmented. This causes ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five more than 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips