You set permissions to define the type of access granted to a user or group. For example, you can grant Read and Write permissions to the entire Finance group for the file payroll.dat . When you set up permissions, you specify the level of access for groups and users. For example, you can let one user read the contents of a file, let another user make changes to the file, and prevent all other users from accessing the file. You can set similar permissions on printers so that certain users can configure the printer and other users can only print from it. To change permissions on a file or folder, you must be the owner of that file or folder, or you must have permission to make such changes.

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For best results, assign permissions to groups rather than to users, this saves you from maintaining access control for each user; assign Full control , if appropriate, rather than individual permissions. Use Deny to exclude a subset of a group which has Allowed permissions, or to exclude one special permission when you have already granted full control to a user or group.

The type of permissions you can grant depend on the type of object. For example, the permissions for a file are different from those for a registry key. However, some permissions are common, including:

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To set, view, change, or remove file and folder permissions

1.	Open Windows Explorer. (Click Start , point to All Programs , point to Accessories , and then click Windows Explorer .)
2.	Locate the file or folder for which you want to set permissions.
3.	Right–click the file or folder, click Properties , and then click the Security tab. (If you do not see the Security tab, you may not be joined to a domain. See To display the Security tab below.)
4.	Do one of the following: ? Group or user names box, click Add . Type the name of the group or user you want to set permissions for and then click OK . (When adding a new user or group, by default, this user or group will have Read & Execute , List Folder Contents , and Read permissions.) ?
5.	Do one of the following: ? Permissions for User or Group box, select the Allow or Deny check box. ? Group or user names box, click Remove .
6.	If the check boxes under Permissions for user or group are shaded or if the Remove button is unavailable, then the file or folder has inherited permissions from the parent folder.

To display the Security tab

?	Start , click Control Panel , click Appearance and Themes , and then click Folder Options .)
?	View tab, under Advanced settings , clear Use simple file sharing [Recommended] .