Accounts Add Take Ownership to Context Menu in Windows 11


Owner_banner.png

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 10 and Windows 11.

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 (for current owner) full access permission.

When you right click or press and hold on a file, folder, or drive, click/tap on Show more options, and click/tap on Take Ownership, you will be prompted by UAC for approval first.

If a user is signed 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 user account. Permissions would be set to allow this current owner (Owner_Rights SID) full control of the file, folder, or drive.

If a user is signed 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 this current owner (Owner_Rights SID) full control of the file, folder, or drive.

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

You will still be able to use the Take Ownership context menu on files and folders inside the locations above, and on all drives other than the C drive and FAT32 drives.

Application files (ex: EXE, CMD, MSI) will have the Take Ownership context menu without replacing Run as administrator.

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


Taking Ownership of a FAT32 drive will not work and you will get an error indicating so since file permissions are only supported on NTFS and ReFS drives.


If you would like to have a custom location(s) of your own to not show the context menu for, 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.



EXAMPLE: Take Ownership context menu

In Windows 11, you will need to click/tap on Show more options first by default, then click/tap on Take Ownership.


Take_Ownership-drive.webp
Show_more_options.png
Take_Ownership_context_menu.png



Here's How:

1 Do step 2 (add), step 3 (add w/pause), or step 4 (remove) below for what you would like to do.

2 Add "Take Ownership" to Context Menu

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

Add_Take_Ownership_to_context_menu.reg​


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code: 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"NeverDefault"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l' -Verb runAs\""
"IsolatedCommand"= "powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l' -Verb runAs\""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Users\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\ProgramData\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\\System32\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\")"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"$Y = ($null | choice).Substring(1,1); Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" /r /d ' + $Y + ' && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q') -Verb runAs\""
"IsolatedCommand"="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"$Y = ($null | choice).Substring(1,1); Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" /r /d ' + $Y + ' && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q') -Verb runAs\""



[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\\")"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\\\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c"
"IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\\\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c"

3 Add "Take Ownership" with Pause to Context Menu

This option does the same as step 2, except includes pausing the command when you use the "Take Ownership" context menu to be able to see the command results. This can be handy to verify if changing ownership and permissions was successfully processed or not.

Take_Ownership_with_pause.png


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

Add_Take_Ownership_with_Pause_to_context_menu.reg​


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code: 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"NeverDefault"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l & pause' -Verb runAs\""
"IsolatedCommand"= "powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l & pause' -Verb runAs\""



[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Users\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\ProgramData\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\\System32\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\")"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"$Y = ($null | choice).Substring(1,1); Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" /r /d ' + $Y + ' && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q & pause') -Verb runAs\""
"IsolatedCommand"="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"$Y = ($null | choice).Substring(1,1); Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" /r /d ' + $Y + ' && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q & pause') -Verb runAs\""



[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\\")"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\\\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c & Pause"
"IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\\\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c & Pause"

4 To Remove "Take Ownership" from Context Menu

This is the default setting.


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

Remove_Take_Ownership_from_context_menu.reg​


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code: 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership]

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership]

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas]

5 Save the .reg file to your Desktop.

6 If you have Smart App Control turned on, you will need to unblock the downloaded REG file.

7 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

8 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

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


That's it,
Shawn Brink


Related Tutorials

 

Attachments

Last edited:
Click to expand...
Hope you are still monitoring this. I have a drive that was in another laptop that died (Win 10). Connecting to my Win 11 machine results in "Access Denied" to the OS drive (it was dual-partitioned and the second partition has no problems being read). I tried this patch (including the .reg) and it eventually fails with a "the filename directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect" error and I still don't have ownership. Note that I can't see anywhere in the .reg file that allows gaining of full access to the root. Am I missing something? (Note also that I'm not a scripter and could easily be missing what's there). Hoping for some suggestions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron
Andy_DFW said:
Hope you are still monitoring this. I have a drive that was in another laptop that died (Win 10). Connecting to my Win 11 machine results in "Access Denied" to the OS drive (it was dual-partitioned and the second partition has no problems being read). I tried this patch (including the .reg) and it eventually fails with a "the filename directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect" error and I still don't have ownership. Note that I can't see anywhere in the .reg file that allows gaining of full access to the root. Am I missing something? (Note also that I'm not a scripter and could easily be missing what's there). Hoping for some suggestions.
Click to expand...

@Brink, I noticed the last section for Drive is missing the "powershell -Verb RunAs". I also fixed the keys' default value, since it doesn't need to mirror the actual command.

Code: 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"NeverDefault"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="Take Ownership"
"IsolatedCommand"= "powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l' -Verb runAs\""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Users\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\ProgramData\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\\System32\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\")"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="Take Ownership"
"IsolatedCommand"="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"$Y = ($null | choice).Substring(1,1); Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" /r /d ' + $Y + ' && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q') -Verb runAs\""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\\")"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas\command]
@="Take Ownership"
"IsolatedCommand"="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"$Y = ($null | choice).Substring(1,1); Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"%1\\\" /r /d ' + $Y + ' && icacls \\\"%1\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q') -Verb runAs\""
 

Attachments

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
garlin said:
@Brink, I noticed the last section for Drive is missing the "powershell -Verb RunAs". I also fixed the keys' default value, since it doesn't need to mirror the actual command.
Click to expand...

Hey mate, :shawn:

If I'm not mistaken, I don't believe it needs the "powershell -Verb RunAs" since it's using the "runas" key to elevate instead.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
But the "[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas]" key only denotes the intended action, it doesn't provide any admin rights.

Which is provided by the "powershell -C [command] -verb RunAs" wrapping around the actual command.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Brink said:
Hey mate, :shawn:

If I'm not mistaken, I don't believe it needs the "powershell -Verb RunAs" since it's using the "runas" key to elevate instead.
Click to expand...
So, do you have an answer to my dilemma?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
You can test using the REG file garlin posted above.
Click to expand...
Did, and that breaks the app. ("Application not found"). Gotta tell y'all, I'm not real comfortable messing with the registry like this. Do I need to add Garlin's keys to the original? Can do that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron
Just to offer an alternative solution...
The tool below includes "Take ownership and get access":

RightClickTools

Add a Set of Powerful Tools to the Windows Explorer Context Menu
lesferch.github.io
It's free, open source. I'm the author.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
garlin said:
But the "[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas]" key only denotes the intended action, it doesn't provide any admin rights.

Which is provided by the "powershell -C [command] -verb RunAs" wrapping around the actual command.
Click to expand...

I just got some time to test and verify if anything may have changed. The runas key does indeed UAC prompt to elevate the command to "run as admin". It was able to take ownership of a "D" drive partition.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Andy_DFW said:
Hope you are still monitoring this. I have a drive that was in another laptop that died (Win 10). Connecting to my Win 11 machine results in "Access Denied" to the OS drive (it was dual-partitioned and the second partition has no problems being read). I tried this patch (including the .reg) and it eventually fails with a "the filename directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect" error and I still don't have ownership. Note that I can't see anywhere in the .reg file that allows gaining of full access to the root. Am I missing something? (Note also that I'm not a scripter and could easily be missing what's there). Hoping for some suggestions.
Click to expand...

Just checking in with you to see how it's going.

If you don't need anything on the drive, it would be easer to format it to use again.

If you do need to copy files off of it, then try using "Take Ownership" on the individual folders instead of the whole drive since this was a system drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
You can test using the REG file garlin posted above.
Click to expand...
Should I integrate Garlin's script to the original you created? I'm "chompin at the bit" trying to gain access to this drive/partition.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron
Andy_DFW said:
Should I integrate Garlin's script to the original you created? I'm "chompin at the bit" trying to gain access to this drive/partition.
Click to expand...

You can try his REG instead if you like. It's the same other than the drive section, but still basically does the same.

Did you have any luck trying to take ownership of individual folders instead?

Just to check, has this drive been encrypted by BitLocker?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
You can try his REG instead if you like. It's the same other than the drive section, but still basically does the same.

Did you have any luck trying to take ownership of individual folders instead?

Just to check, has this drive been encrypted by BitLocker?
Click to expand...
I tried Gavin's script alone and it caused an "application not found" error. No, the drive is not encrypted with BDE. I would see a lock icon over the drive letter and would hv the opportunity to input the passphrase and that's not the case. At least that's the case with another drive I hv that is encrypted with BDE.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron
Andy_DFW said:
I tried Gavin's script alone and it caused an "application not found" error. No, the drive is not encrypted with BDE. I would see a lock icon over the drive letter and would hv the opportunity to input the passphrase and that's not the case. At least that's the case with another drive I hv that is encrypted with BDE.
Click to expand...

You would indeed see that.

Any luck using Take Ownership on individual folders on the drive instead of the drive itself?
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
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    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
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    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
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    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
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    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
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    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
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Brink said:
You would indeed see that.

Any luck using Take Ownership on individual folders on the drive instead of the drive itself?
Click to expand...
Any attempt to access the drive is an instant, "Access Denied" msg.
Brink said:
You would indeed see that.

Any luck using Take Ownership on individual folders on the drive instead of the drive itself?
Click to expand...
Brink said:
You would indeed see that.

Any luck using Take Ownership on individual folders on the drive instead of the drive itself?
Click to expand...
Let me go at this a different direction. Do you know a way to make a searchable image file from the drive (and if that'd work)? I certainly know how to create an .iso from a working machine but this is obviously an external drive and I don't care if it's a bootable image.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron
@Brink This is very strange, it turns out the posted .reg file in Step 2 was corrupted, and it really didn't work when tried updating it.

1. Wildcard deletions are not supported within a .reg file, so -[...\*\...] is invalid.

2. My method for determining your locale's answer for "Yes" or "Y" was supposed to be choice <NUL 2>NUL from CMD, but that got truncated. This resulted in choice timing out after a few seconds, but not before making annoying beep noises.

3. I shouldn't have replaced "@" in the command section. Got confused with the "@" working as a tag in the top section.

4. I've submitted two versions of a working Take Ownership .reg file. The debug version leaves the elevated CMD shell open, so you can visually confirm that it has indeed correctly executed takeown and icacls.

5. FYI -- If you takeown an entire drive, you will break the Recycle Bin that's on it and will have to make a new one. Oh well.

@Andy_DFW: Try the debug version first, so you can see the commands in action. If that's good, you can switch to the normal (and silent) version.

Code: 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\TakeOwnership]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Users\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\ProgramData\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Windows\\System32\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files\" OR System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\")"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="powershell -WindowStyle Hidden -C \"$Yes=(cmd /c 'choice <NUL 2>NUL').Substring(1,1); $Path='%1'; Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"{0}\\\" /r /d {1} && icacls \\\"{2}\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q' -f $Path,$Yes,$Path) -Verb RunAs\""
"IsolatedCommand"="powershell -WindowStyle Hidden -C \"$Yes=(cmd /c 'choice <NUL 2>NUL').Substring(1,1); $Path='%1'; Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f \\\"{0}\\\" /r /d {1} && icacls \\\"{2}\\\" /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q' -f $Path,$Yes,$Path) -Verb RunAs\""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\TakeOwnership]
@="Take Ownership"
"AppliesTo"="NOT (System.ItemPathDisplay:=\"C:\\\")"
"Extended"=-
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\TakeOwnership\command]
@="powershell -WindowStyle Hidden -C \"$Yes=(cmd /c 'choice <NUL 2>NUL').Substring(1,1); $Path='%1'; Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f {0} /r /d {1} && icacls {2} /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q' -f $Path,$Yes,$Path) -Verb RunAs\""
"IsolatedCommand"="powershell -WindowStyle Hidden -C \"$Yes=(cmd /c 'choice <NUL 2>NUL').Substring(1,1); $Path='%1'; Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList ('/c takeown /f {0} /r /d {1} && icacls {2} /grant *S-1-3-4:F /t /c /l /q' -f $Path,$Yes,$Path) -Verb RunAs\""
 

Attachments

Last edited:

My Computer

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  • OS
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Having seen the saga of more than one person nuke their Windows installation by taking ownership of the wrong stuff, shouldn't a capability like this have some guard rails?
 

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System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
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    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
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  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
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gunrunnerjohn said:
Having seen the saga of more than one person nuke their Windows installation by taking ownership of the wrong stuff, shouldn't a capability like this have some guard rails?
Click to expand...

Hey mate, :alien:

It does. I have these restrictions built-in to the context menu to help:

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

You will still be able to use the Take Ownership context menu on files and folders inside the locations above, and on all drives other than the C drive and FAT32 drives.

 

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    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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    PC/Desktop
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    Custom self build
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    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
Hey mate, :alien:

It does. I have these restrictions built-in to the context menu to help:

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

You will still be able to use the Take Ownership context menu on files and folders inside the locations above, and on all drives other than the C drive and FAT32 drives.

Click to expand...
Good call. (y)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
Brink said:
I have these restrictions built-in to the context menu to help:

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

You will still be able to use the Take Ownership context menu on files and folders inside the locations above, and on all drives other than the C drive and FAT32 drives.

Click to expand...
I put the same restrictions in Right-Click Tools. It uses the SetACL tool, so it may work in some rare situations where the Takeown/Icacls pair does not.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
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