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Take ownership

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Recommendation

Situational

Do not enable without administrative necessity.

Changing the owner can break the permissions of a system component or application.

Main effect
Changing file ownership
FPS and memory
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What changes

Section titled “What changes”

The setting adds a “Take ownership” item to the context menu of files and folders. It helps delete or modify a protected file when there is no access to it: the system denies the action because of the owner and permissions.

Visible result: in the object’s properties, on the “Security” tab, the owner changes to your account, and you gain full access to the object. The change is permanent — unlike “Run as TrustedInstaller”, which changes rights only for a single run and leaves no traces after a reboot.

Exceptions and differences

Section titled “Exceptions and differences”

Returning the owner is done with standard Windows tools: “Properties” → “Security” → “Advanced” → “Owner” → “Change”. Taking ownership does not guarantee safe editing: do not apply the item to the Windows, Program Files and system application folders just to delete a file — first determine the standard maintenance method. The setting is not hidden in either Windows 10 or Windows 11.

How to verify the result

Section titled “How to verify the result”

Apply the item to a test file and open “Properties” → “Security” → “Advanced”: the owner has changed to your account.

How to change and revert

Section titled “How to change and revert”

Open Optimization → Customization → Context menu → Take ownership and enable the setting. Click “Apply” at the bottom of the page; if “Instant apply” is enabled, a separate button is not required. To revert, disable the setting — the item will disappear from the menu; return the file owner via the “Security” tab.

Confirmation

Section titled “Confirmation”

Last checked: 2026-09-19.