Most Windows users would know that there are two main types of user account for individuals, a standard user account and an administrator account. A standard user account has some restrictions while an administrator should have pretty much complete control over the whole system. But Windows doesn’t work like that and there are additional levels of access and security that go over and above even what an administrator can do.
For instance, TrustedInstaller is an account created by Windows that has exclusive control over a number of system files and folders. If TrustedInstaller, another group or user has been made owner of the object and granted full control over it while the administrator has not, the administrator cannot do anything without transferring control to the administrators group, whether the file is locked and in use or not. As you can see below, TrustedInstaller owns Notepad.exe so even an administrator cannot delete or move the file and will receive a “File Access Denied” error.
To give yourself full control over the file or folder and stop a potential “You need permission to perform this action” message you must first take ownership from the current owner and then give yourself permission to read, execute or modify it. Below are the default permissions for Notepad.exe, you’ll notice administrators are only allowed to read and execute the file while TrustedInstaller has full control.
There are several ways to take ownership and give yourself full control of files or folders and doing it manually via the Properties Security tab is a dozen or more steps which can be confusing and time consuming. An easier option is using something which can do the same but with just a few mouse clicks. Here we list 6 free tools that allow you to take ownership of folders and files and give you full control so they can be accessed or modified. All tools have been tested on Windows 7 and 10 and you will need administrator rights to use them.
