Definition of NTFS Special Permissions (Windows NT) in Network Encyclopedia.
What are NTFS special permissions (Windows NT)?
NTFS Special Permissions are individual permissions granted or denied when NTFS file system standard permissions are not sufficiently granular for specific security purposes.
The special permissions available are the same whether you are securing files or folders, with the exception that when you secure a directory you have the additional option of leaving access unspecified instead of assigning a specific set of special permissions.
In both cases, six special permissions are available; these are listed in the following table.
NTFS Special Permissions in Windows NT
| Special Permission | Abbreviation | User Access When Applied to Files | User Access When Applied to Folders |
| read | R | View file owner and permissionsRead the file | View contents of the folderView folder attributesView folder owner and permissions |
| write | W | View file owner and permissionsModify file attributesEdit the file | Add files to the folderAdd subfoldersModify folder attributesView folder owner and permissions |
| execute | X | View file owner and permissionsModify file attributesRun the executable file | View folder attributesBrowse folder hierarchyView folder owner and permissions |
| delete | D | Delete the file | Delete the folder |
| change permission | P | Change file permissions | Change folder permissions |
| take ownership | O | Take ownership of the file | Take ownership of the folder |
How It Works
By selecting different combinations of special permissions, you can create custom sets of permissions for special purposes. In most cases, however, NTFS standard permissions are sufficient for securing files and folders. To use special permissions you must be the object’s owner, have full control of the object, or be a member of the Administrators system group. For information on which sets of special permissions comprise the various standard permissions, see the entry on NTFS permissions (Windows NT).
NOTE
For a description of the differences between NTFS special permissions for Microsoft Windows NT and for Microsoft Windows 2000, see the entry on NTFS special permissions (Windows 2000).