We here at AskVG post various themes, skins and other customization stuff which require you to replace or modify existing system files in Windows. You need to take ownership of that file or folder before modifying or replacing it.
We always suggest you to use take the ownership automatically using following context menu option method:
But sometime people complain that they are unable to take ownership of the file and we suggest them to take the ownership manually.
Since taking the ownership manually is a bit complicated task, today we are going to post a detailed guide with screenshots which will help you in taking ownership and granting full permission to yourself of a file or folder in Windows.
So without wasting time, here are the required steps:
1. Go to the folder which contains the file or folder on which you want to take ownership. Right-click on the file or folder and select Properties.
2. It'll open its Properties window. Now go to "Security" tab and select your username from the given list. You'll see that it doesn't have full control.
3. Click on "Advanced" button and it'll open a new window.
For Windows XP, Vista and 7 Users:
Go to "Owner" tab. You'll see that the owner would be set to "TrustedInstaller".
Click on "Edit" button, select your username given in "Change owner to" section and click on "Apply" button. It'll ask for confirmation, click on OK button.
If you are not a Windows 8 user, jump to Step 4.
For Windows 8 Users:
Click on "Change" button near "TrustedInstaller" as shown in following image:
It'll open new dialog box. Now type your username and click on "Check Names" button. It'll automatically convert the username to correct format.
Now click on OK button.
4. Exit from both Ownership dialog boxes and come to the first Properties window again. Now select your username again and click on "Edit" button. It'll open a new window:
Select your username and click on "Allow" checkbox given for "Full control" option. Click on "Apply" button and then OK. It'll ask for confirmation, click on Yes button.
5. That's it. Now you'll have full permission on the file or folder.
Now you can modify or replace it without any problem. Before doing anything, first take a backup of the file by renaming it to some other name.
Also check:
[Guide] How to Restore "TrustedInstaller" as Default Owner of a File or Folder in Windows?
[Guide] How to Take Ownership (Permission) of a Registry Key in Windows?
Posted by: Vishal Gupta | Categories: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP
Joe
hello im kinda frustrated here when i try takin owner of trustedinstaller it tells me i dont have access and it tells me the program is terminating what is the deal with that and i recently purchaced recovery disk from hp will that format my c drive and install new windows some please give me some answers
Jay
Thanks for guide, Tried it all and it still failed, I have complete ownership and It won't let me delete. Have tried an unlocker with no luck either. This is exhaustingly frustrating. It shouldn't take Hours to delete a damn folder. So far have spent about 6 hours over 2 nights trying to delete this folder, so much googling lol. Windows 8.
Dave
These instructions sometimes work, but most people wind up on this blog because they've already taken the normal steps and they failed. How do you fix the problem when you are logged in as an administrator, have full control of the file in question, get to the "Owner" tab, select the administrator account from the list, click "Apply", and Windows still refuses to change ownership and throws an error message? What kind of permissions do you need beyond "full" in order to take ownership?
VG
^^ Try to use the context menu option:
http://www.askvg.com/add-take-ownership-option-in-file-folder-context-menu-in-windows-vista/
TW
Per Dave: These instructions sometimes work, but most people wind up on this blog because they've already taken the normal steps and they failed. How do you fix the problem when you are logged in as an administrator, have full control of the file in question, get to the "Owner" tab, select the administrator account from the list, click "Apply", and Windows still refuses to change ownership and throws an error message? What kind of permissions do you need beyond "full" in order to take ownership? I am having the same issue on this migration