Take Ownership - Add to Context Menu in Windows 8

How to Add "Take Ownership" to Context Menu in Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

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 8.

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 (current owner) full access permission.

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

   Note

Application files (ex: EXE, CMD, MSI) will continue to have Run as administrator instead of Take Ownership in their context menu.

When you right click or press and hold on a file, folder, or drive, and click/tap on Take Ownership, you may be prompted by UAC for permission to do so 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 administrator user account. Permissions would be set to allow the Owner_Rights SID (current owner) 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 the Owner_Rights SID (current owner) full control of the file, folder, or drive.

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

You will still be able to use the Take Ownership context menu of files inside the folder locations above.

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

   Warning

This context menu will only work with English Windows installations.

If you have a different language, then please post a reply with what language you have instead. I'll be happy to post back a translated version for you.

EXAMPLE: Take Ownership in Context Menu




Here's How:

1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below for what you would like to do.

2. To Add "Take Ownership" to Context Menu

​

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the top, middle, or bottom of context menu file below, and go to step 5 below.​

​

Add_Take_Ownership_to_context_menu.reg​

​

​

3. To Add "Take Ownership" with Pause to Context Menu

   Note

This option pauses the command when you use the "Take Ownership" context menu to be able to see the command results. This can be handy to verify setting ownership and permissions was successful or not.

Application files (ex: EXE, CMD, MSI) will still have Run as administrator instead of Take Ownership in the context menu when you use this step.

​

​

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the top, middle, or bottom of context menu file below, and go to step 5 below.​

​

Add_Take_Ownership_with_Pause_to_context_menu.reg​

​

​

4. To Remove "Take Ownership" from Context Menu

   Note

This is the default setting, and will also restore the default Run as administrator for .exe files.

​

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

​

Remove_Take_Ownership_from_context_menu.reg​

​

​

5. Save the .reg file to your Desktop.

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

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

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


That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Take Ownership of a File, Folder, Drive, or Registry Key in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Allow or Deny Access Permisions to Users and Groups in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to be able to Take Ownership
• How to Add Reset Permissions to Context Menu in Windows
• Enable or Disable Inherited Permissions for Files and Folders in Windows

 

[Brink]

The "Take Ownership" context menu is suppose to work in both a "local account" and "Microsoft account" as long as they are administrators. At least it does for me.

The way the command for the context menu works is that it sets the Administrators group as the owner first, then grants the Administrators group "Full control" permission.

As a test, download and merge the new .reg file in step 3. It's the same as in the tutorial to add "Take Ownership" to the context menu, but I added a Pause to it so that you can see the command results after using the context menu. Post a screenshot showing the results to see if it shows any errors while running that may help.

You can press any key to close the command. To undo the Pause option, you can download and merge the .reg file from step 2 in the tutorial to go back to normal.

 

[lahceneamine]

It seems that it does not even PAUSE !!! Really strange.

 

[Brink]

Odd. Post a screenshot of what it shows when you do it manually in a command prompt to compare with.

I'm starting to think it may be an issue with the different OS language.

 

[lahceneamine]

I think you are right, I didn't thought of it, before adding the ref file I had to change the "Y" to "O" since in french Oui means Yes.
I'm going to try change Administrators to Administrateurs and tell you.
Meanwhile there's the screenshot.




EDIT:
Yes indeed, it was just a language issue !!!
Thank You For Everything

 

[Brink]

Perfect.

 

[zivshosh]

Sorry for the delay lahceneamine, just saw your post now.
when you right ckick your mouse and choose Take Ownership it opens a cmd window and "shows" what it does there. and it is for a short time (depending on the size of the folder you pointed) and then it closes the cmd windows automatically. so most of the time you scarcely see anything.
How do you know it doesn't work?
How do you point a file or a folder? from the explorer?
Now if you want to change security permissions, take ownership does not do all the work. You have to continue by right-click again the file or folder, go to properties option at the bottom,security tab, click edit, add, advanced on the new window, find now on the newer window formed, search yourself on the lower list and and close all windows with OK
so what does Take Ownership do? without it the OS wouldn't allow you to do it!
Hope I've cleared a bit.

 

[lahceneamine]

The problem was the OS Different language, but I solved it thanks to Brink.
I know it doesn't work because the owner didn't change, I can even see it in the cmd windows via a screenshot as I posted it before
Thanks for trying helping me

 

[quasar]

I tried this Brink and I do get the "Take Ownership" on right clicking a file (trying to rename a Bitdefender .exe file that causes a popup all the time) and when I click on Take Ownership, the command window pops up and closes within a second, even using the "with pause" reg edit. Plus, it still wont let me take ownership (rename) the file.

 

[Brink]

Hello Quasar, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Considering that BitDefender.exe is a part of the security program, it may be protected by the program and will not allow you to change it. Changing the name of this file would most likely cause an issue with BitDefender as well.

 

[quasar]

Thanks Brink. I was just trying to stop the darn popup wanting you to signup at their website. I tried a little program called Unlocker, that has ALWAYS worked in the past and it was not able to delete the file. Never thought that would happen. In another forum they suggested deleting the file in Safemode, I tried that and it deleted, but came back. I would think it was a dll somewhere that is allowing the popups. Well, giving in, will create an account with Bitdefender, but going to use fake info.

 

[Brink]

You might check to see if this may be a reminder file set to run in your startup programs causing this.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5180-startup-items-manage-windows-8-a.html

 

[quasar]

I checked. Only "Windows 8 Firewall Control" shows up under startup. Looks like by signing up for a BD account, it must have deleted the dll or file automatically? Wish I knew what file or dll it was, but at least no more popups for now anyway.

 

[quasar]

I dont know whats going on with the "take ownership" right clicking. No matter what file I try it on, a command window pops up and closes in 1 second. Wonder what could be wrong?

 

[Brink]

That's normal if you used step 2.

If you want the command prompt to pause, you'll need to use step 3 instead.

 

[quasar]

That's normal if you used step 2.

If you want the command prompt to pause, you'll need to use step 3 instead.

Oh I see. So that's normal to have that happen? I guess I would be able to "take ownership" then of the file after the command window disappears?

 

[Brink]

The take ownership context menu automatically opens a command window, runs the command to take ownership of the item you right clicked on, then the command prompt closes. Since it happens so quickly, that is why all you see is a quick flash of the command prompt when using step 2.

Step 3 pauses the command prompt after the command has run to allow you to see the results before pressing a key to close the command prompt.

 

[quasar]

OK thanks Brink for clearing that up. Thought it was Windows 8 fighting it.

 

[Brink]

Anytime.

 

[quovadisuk]

Hi I did follow the instructions , and now have take ownership when clicking right. I downloaded the software and installed it , but when I try to use it , the black window flashes on the screen and disapears?

regards

 

[Brink]

Hello quavadisuk,

If you wanted the command prompt to pause, did you use the download in step 3?