How to reset user permissions on Windows 11 devices?

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Resetting user permissions on a Windows 11 device is an essential troubleshooting step that can help resolve app or program issues. If you've been having problems with user profile settings, it may be necessary to restore user permissions to their default settings.

Fortunately, Windows 11 offers several methods for resetting user permissions, and this guide will walk you through the process.

How to reset user permissions on Windows 11?

User permissions are essential for maintaining the security and integrity of your Windows 11 device. If you've been having issues with user profile settings or apps not running properly, resetting user permissions to their default settings can often help.

There are two ways to reset user permissions to default in Windows 11:

1. Using the Icacls command
   
2. Using the Secedit command
   

You have two different options to reset user permissions on Windows 11Using the Icacls commandThe Icacls command is a powerful tool that lets you modify and reset file system permissions for files and folders. To reset Windows 11 user permissions to their default settings using the Icacls command, you'll need to take ownership of the folders first.

Once you've done that, open an elevated Command Prompt and type in the following command:
 

icacls * /t /q /c /reset

Hit Enter to execute the command, and it will reset all user permissions to default for every file and folder within the current working directory. Here's what each parameter of the command does:

• – This is a wildcard character that includes all folders within the current directory
  
• /t – Targets all the subfolders and files within the current folder
  
• /q – Runs the command without displaying success messages
  
• /c – Continues the operation even if errors occur
  
• /reset – Resets the permission options to their default values
  

Using the Secedit command

The Secedit command is a built-in tool in Windows 11 that lets you configure and analyze system security. To reset all user permissions to their default settings using the Secedit command, open an elevated Command Prompt and type in the following command:
 

secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose

Hit Enter to execute the command and wait for the process to finish. Once it's done, restart your computer, and the user permissions will be reset to the default system settings.

Not sure if you would like to upgrade to Windows 11? Check out Windows' blog post on their newest operating system.
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