Ideally, an Administrator should have permission to access all files and folders on a system. However, at times, when accessing security settings or attempting to view the properties of a file, Windows administrator users have reported seeing the error – You do not have permission to view this object’s security properties, even as an administrative user. Why does this occur and what can you do about it?

You do not have permission to view this object’s security properties

There could be many causes behind this issue. Some of them are as follows:

A virus or malware might have caused changes to the file or folder in question, thus causing the problem.
A service or program might be using the file or folder simultaneously, thus preventing your access to the system.
The file might have been owned by a user account that does not exist anymore.
You might not have permission to view the target file or folder, despite being the administrator.

Here’s what you can do to resolve the issue.

1] Run a full system anti-virus and anti-malware scan

In case the issue is caused by a virus or malware, try running a full system anti-virus and anti-malware scan to isolate this possibility. It would also be advisable to uninstall any recently installed suspicious freeware from the system.

2] Restart in Clean Boot State and check

Perform a Clean Boot and see if you can view the Properties and if it makes your problem go away.

3] Boot the system in Safe Mode and delete inactive users

If the folder was created or owned by a user account which is either deleted or inactive now, you could try the following steps:

Boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode.

Now right-click on the troublesome file or folder and select Properties.

In the Security tab, select Advanced.

Click on Add.

In the next window, click on Select a Principal.

In the box “Enter the object name to select,” type the name of the user who you wish to give permissions to.

Select Check Names. This would resolve the user name.

Click on OK to save the settings. This would close the window and take to back to the previous window (the Permission Entry one).

Change the Type to Allow from the drop-down menu and select the checkbox corresponding to Full Control.

Click on OK to save the settings and restart the system in normal mode.

4] Take ownership of the file

Another way to resolve the issue is to take ownership and force the system into giving permissions to the Administrator.

Search for Command Prompt in the Windows Search bar. Right-click on the option and select Run as Administrator.

Type the following command and press Enter to execute it:

TAKEOWN /F <path>

Where <path> is the path/location of the file as in File Explorer.

Now type the following command and press Enter to execute it:

ICACLS <path> /grant administrators:F

Again <path> is the file location.

Restart the system, and the Administrator would have access to the file/folder.

TIP: Ultimate Windows Tweaker will let you add the Take Ownership of Files and Folders easily to Windows 10/8.1/7 context menu.

Hope this helps!