Here are several useful Windows commands to check user rights and permissions on files, folders, or system objects:
📁 Check File/Folder Permissions
1. icacls – View NTFS permissions
icacls "C:\Path\To\FileOrFolder"
- Shows which users/groups have what rights (e.g.,
FullControl,Read,Modify).
2. dir /q – View owner of files/folders
dir /q "C:\Path\To\Folder"
- Lists file owners alongside file details.
👤 Check User Rights and Group Memberships
3. whoami – Show current user info
whoami
whoami /groups
whoami /priv
/groups: Shows group memberships/priv: Shows current user’s privileges (e.g., shutdown, backup)
4. net user <username>
net user alice
- Shows account details, group memberships, and login info.
5. net localgroup
net localgroup Administrators
- Lists users in a local group.
🔍 Check Effective Permissions
6. Effective Access GUI Tool (Windows Pro/Server)
- Right-click a file/folder → Properties → Security → Advanced → Effective Access tab.
- Enter a user to see what rights they truly have (considers inherited permissions too).
🧠 Bonus (PowerShell)
7. Get-Acl (PowerShell)
Get-Acl "C:\Path\To\FileOrFolder" | Format-List
- More scriptable than
icacls.
Would you like a PowerShell script that checks effective permissions for a specific user across multiple files or folders?