how to remove read only from windows 10 folders

When I used command prompt it gave me 'Invalid switch - -r/s/d' message. Through file explorer I couldn't change.

You're missing the spaces between the arguments:

attrib -r /s /d

However, you are wasting your time if what you're looking at is this:

.

.

If you look at other folders, you will see that they all have that same "indicator". It's perfectly normal and essentially meaningless and has always been that way. It will not cause any problem.

To be clear, that "indicator" does not mean what you think it means. The folder itself is not read-only. You can verify that at a command line with the attrib command (with just the folder name as the only argument).

It's actually an operational item rather than an indicator. It always shows the black box indicating that one or more files in the folder may be set read only. So, it really isn't any kind of indicator at all. But if you check the box, it is a command to tell Explorer to make all files in the folder read-only (it will ask for confirmation). It can also be unchecked to make all files in the folder not read-only. But it will always display a solid box!

Whatever issue you're having, it's not caused by this. Please tell us what actual problem you're having that led you to believe it was this "indicator".

If you're referring to the item shown in the screenshot below, then you're wasting your time. All folders will display that "Read-only" item. It's essentially meaningless. If you're having a particular issue, the problem lies elsewhere, so please clarify what you're trying to achieve. That is, what issue has occurred that has you looking at the folder security settings for a solution?

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

Changing file and folder permissions in Windows can sometimes be a bit tricky, but let's try to troubleshoot the issue. Here's a step-by-step guide to removing the read-only attribute from folders in Windows 10:

Method 1: Using File Explorer

1. Right-click on the folder that is marked as read-only and select "Properties."
2. In the folder's Properties window, go to the "General" tab.
3. Clear the "Read-only" checkbox at the bottom. If it's a folder, you'll be asked whether you want to apply the changes to all subfolders and files. Choose "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files."
4. Click "OK" to confirm the changes.

Method 2: Using Command Prompt

1. Press the Windows key, type "cmd," right-click on "Command Prompt," and select "Run as administrator" to open an elevated Command Prompt.
2. To navigate to the folder you want to modify, type the following command and press Enter (replace "C:\Path\To\Your\Folder" with the actual path to your folder):

    cd C:\Path\To\Your\Folder
   

3. To remove the read-only attribute from all files and subfolders within the folder, enter the following command and press Enter:

    attrib -r /s /d
   

4. The command will process the folder and its subcontents to remove the read-only attribute.

Method 3: Using PowerShell

1. Press the Windows key, type "powershell," right-click on "Windows PowerShell," and select "Run as administrator" to open an elevated PowerShell window.
2. Navigate to the folder you want to modify by using the cd command, similar to the Command Prompt method.
3. To remove the read-only attribute from all files and subfolders within the folder, enter the following command and press Enter:

    Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Path\To\Your\Folder" -Recurse | ForEach-Object { $_.IsReadOnly = $false }
   

4. Replace "C:\Path\To\Your\Folder" with the actual path to your folder.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

I was trying to rename the folder.

What is the folder's path?