Take ownership of a file or folder

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To take ownership of a file or folder

Open Windows Explorer, and then locate the file or folder you want to take ownership of.
Right-click the file or folder, click Properties, and then click the Security tab.
Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
In the Change owner to box, do one of the following:
- To change the owner to a user or group that is not listed, double-click Other users and groups and, in Enter the object name to select (examples), type the name of the user or group, and then click OK.
- To change the owner to a user or group that is listed, click the new owner.
(Optional) To change the owner of all subcontainers and objects within the tree, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.

Notes

To open Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
You can transfer ownership in two ways:
- The current owner can grant the Take ownership permission to others, allowing those users to take ownership at any time. A user granted the Take ownership permission can take ownership of the object or assign ownership to any group that the user is a member of.
- A user who has the Restore files and directories privilege can double-click Other users and groups and choose any user or group to assign ownership to.
An administrator can take ownership of any file on the computer.
In the Windows Server 2003 family, the Everyone group no longer includes the Anonymous Logon group.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.