Windows 10 – Fix or Delete a Folder That Has Lost All Permissions

permissionswindows 10

In Windows 10, I have a folder that has lost every permission and even the ownership.

If I choose right-click > Security, all lists of permissions are empty and it says the owner could not be evaluated. If I try to add a permission, e.g. of System, or try to change the owner, the settings are not stored.

I would like either to fix the folder or to delete and recreate it. But the system doesn't allow to delete, even if I start a shell or a file explorer as administrator.

What is the correct way in Windows to clean up such orphans?

Thanks a lot for any hint.

Edit Please see the picture below that illustrates how important option controls are missing. Also, chkdsk seems not possible immediately (but it can be scheduled).

enter image description here

Best Answer

I would first suggest running chkdsk /f on the disk, which will make sure the security information isn't corrupted. It should restore the directory to some 'standard' permissions.

If you're an administrator, you should be always able to take ownership using takeown, and then write new ACL using e.g. icacls … /reset.

Related Question