Take Ownership Shortcut

Add "Take Ownership" to Context Menu of Files, Folders, and Drives in Windows​

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to add Take Ownership to the context menu of all files, folders, and drives for all users in Windows.

This will allow you to be able to instantly take ownership of a file, folder (and all contents), or drive (and all contents) by changing the owner to the current user and grant the Owner_Rights SID (current owner) full access permission.

You must be an administrator to be able to add, remove, and use the "Take Ownership" context menu.

   Note

Application files (ex: EXE, CMD, MSI) will continue to have Run as administrator instead of Take Ownership in their context menu.

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When you right click or press and hold on a file, folder, or drive, and click/tap on Take Ownership, you may be prompted by UAC for permission to do so first.

If a user is logged in as an administrator, then the user would just click/tap on Yes to approve and take ownership. The owner of the file, folder, or drive would be changed to the current administrator user account. Permissions would be set to allow the Owner_Rights SID (current owner) full control of the file, folder, or drive.

If a user is logged in as a standard user, then the user would need to enter a selected administrator's password to approve and take ownership. The owner of the file, folder, or drive would be changed to the selected administrator account, and not the standard user. Permissions would be set to allow the Owner_Rights SID (current owner) full control of the file, folder, or drive.

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The Take Ownership context menu will not be available when you right click on the C: drive, C:\Program Files folder, C:\Program Files (x86) folder, C:\ProgramData folder, C:\Users folder, and C:\Windows folder. This was done because taking ownership of these system folders can make Windows unstable since it would also take ownership of all the folder's content at the same time.

You will still be able to use the Take Ownership context menu of files inside the folder locations above.

If you would like to have a custom location(s) of your own to not have the context menu, then please feel free to post a request in this tutorial thread. I'll be happy to post back with a custom .reg file for it.

   Warning

This context menu will only work with English Windows installations.

If you have a different language, then please post a reply with what language you have instead. I'll be happy to post back a translated version for you.

EXAMPLE: Take Ownership in Context Menu






Here's How:

1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below for what you would like to do.


2. To Add "Take Ownership" to Context Menu

   Note

Application files (ex: EXE, CMD, MSI) will still have Run as administrator instead of Take Ownership in the context menu when you use this step.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Add_Take_Ownership_to_context_menu


Download


3. To Add "Take Ownership" with Pause to Context Menu

   Note

This option pauses the command when you use the "Take Ownership" context menu to be able to see the command results. This can be handy to verify setting ownership and permissions was successful or not.

Application files (ex: EXE, CMD, MSI) will still have Run as administrator instead of Take Ownership in the context menu when you use this step.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Add_Take_Ownership_with_Pause_to_context_menu.reg


Download


4. To Remove "Take Ownership" from Context Menu

   Note

This is the default setting, and will also restore the default Run as administrator for .exe files.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Remove_Take_Ownership_from_context_menu.reg


Download


5. Save the .reg file to your Desktop.

6. Double click on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

7. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.



That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Add or Remove the Security Tab from Properties in Windows 7
• How to Restore TrustedInstaller as Owner of a File in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Allow or Deny Permissions to Users and Groups
• How to Add or Remove Users and Groups from "User Rights Assignment"
• How to Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Take Ownership
• How to Add Reset Permissions to Context Menu in Windows
• Enable or Disable Inherited Permissions for Files and Folders in Windows

Related Windows 10 Tutorials

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• How to Add View Owner to Context Menu in Windows
• Change Permissions of File, Folder, Drive, or Registry Key for Users and Groups in Windows 10
• How to Change Owner of File, Folder, Drive, or Registry Key in Windows 10
• How to Add Advanced security to context menu in Windows 8 and Windows 10
• How to Add a File Attributes context menu in Windows 10
• How to Remove Security tab from Drives, Files, and Folders Properties in Windows 10
• How to Add Reset Permissions to Context Menu in Windows
• Enable or Disable Inherited Permissions for Files and Folders in Windows
• How to Add Inherited Permissions Context Menu in Windows
• How to Add List Permissions Context Menu in Windows
• How to Backup and Restore Permissions of Files, Folders, or Drives in Windows 10
• How to Add Change Owner to Context Menu in Windows 10

 

[enfield250]

Thanks for the tweak, took a long time to take ownership of 'our desktop' but it has done the trick.

 

[maddy901]

I was wondering if there was a way to reverse taking ownership of a file or folder? Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello Maddy, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes, but you would have to manually change the ownership and permissions of the file back to what it was before you took ownership of it with your user account. The tutorials below can help show you how to.

Take Ownership of file - Vista Forums

and

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/122666-permissions-allow-deny-users-groups.html

If you do not know what it was before, then you could post back with the full path of the file, and we'll see what the default setting is on our system to help.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[zapp22]

endless loop?

can someone tell me what causes the take-ownership routine to go into endless loop? :huh:
first time I've seen it... this is on win7 pro, 64-bit.
it succeeded in doing the job, but just kept re-doing it until I finally terminated the app

 

[Brink]

Hello Zapp,

I've never seen that before either. What were your trying to take ownership of?

 

[zapp22]

three drives attached, one old one that will be reformatted and reused.
I'm pulling the useful files off that one, moving them to a usb drive for later reloading.
z

Hello Zapp,

I've never seen that before either. What were your trying to take ownership of?

 

[zapp22]

hmm.... looks like my error. it wasn't done.
miscompare on the finqished product.
I retract my question

 

[Brink]

LOL, no problem.

 

[buythiscomputer]

Thank you, but after taking ownership the lock is still here ?

Thank you, but after taking ownership the lock is still here ?

Is it normal ?

 

[Brink]

Hello Buythiscomputer, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes, the lock is for access permisssions and not for ownership though. Taking ownership of it has no affect on sharing.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Asirainis]

Awesome. I'm going to try that and see if I can remove some dead links that are in my mother's new computer in the start menu. Before, I've tried everything to remove it and it wouldn't go. I love this! You're a lifesaver Brink. *crosses fingers*

 

[erkin113]

I had a system with windows 7 and I changed OS and setup Xp on my system. I could not see my pictures at all.
I setup windows 7 and take ownership but my problem don't solve.
please help me.

 

[Brink]

Hello Erkin, and welcome to Seven Forums.

In addition, see the yellow TIP box at the bottom of the tutorial to also Allow your user account Full Control of the pictures to see if that may help.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[erkin113]

Brink, Thanks alot for your help.
I allowed full control but I can not see my picture.
Is it Possible that a virus damaged my picture?
Is exist any way for recovery my images? No program can not open them. I am very sad.
I found I can see images on just one drive but other drive have problem.

 

[Brink]

When you say you cannot see the pictures, do you meant that the files are not there, or that you do not see the thumbnail preview of the picture on the icon?

Where are the images located?

What type (file extension) of images are these?

Did you try to open the images directly or from within the program?



For now, double check in Default Programs to make sure that you have Windows Photo Viewer set as the default program with all of it's default associations set to it. In addition, double check to make sure that you have thumbnail previews turned on.

 

[erkin113]

there are files and I see image's Icon but I can't see thumbnail preview and when I double click on image I can not see them.In windows 7 I see this prompt
' Windows photo viewer can't open this picture because you don't have the correct permission to access the file location.'
I today found I can't see other files in that location.movie , music , etc.
I don't see my pictures with no programs. photoshop, pixrecovery, paint, etc. even I can not copy them.
all of them say I have not permission.
all of my files that have green or blue color don't open. but files with black color open.
my images have .jpg and .gif extention.
D and E drives have folders with green or blue color and I can not open their content.

 

[Brink]

Erkin,

Green text = encrypted files
Unless you have backed up your encryption certificate and key to be able to be able to restore it, then you have lost access to these files permanently.


Blue text = compressed files
See if uncompressing them will allow you to see them afterwards.

 

[erkin113]

really? I will die. This system is not for me. It is for my friend.
She told me she didn't encrypte them.
Is there any solution?
please help..................................

 

[Brink]

If the file name is in green, then it has been encrypted.

A professional data recovery shop may be able to recover them, but I'm sure it will not be cheap.

 

[erkin113]

thanks alot for your help.
I didn't open any drives before installing windows XP because I didn't have permission from my friend. my friend told she didn't encrypte them so why they are encrypted?
Can I recover them with a software? Or a professional person can recover them?
If there is a software for recovery what is the name of it?