Remove read permission in many groups

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Remove read permission in many groups

Zenith Works 20

Hello every one

In our file server, we have too many folders and subfolders. Each folder and subfolder, have too many groups with write permission. How can we remove the write permission from all groups in every folder and subfolder (keeping only read permission)?

Thanks in advance.

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Answer 1

Hello Zenith, I strongly recommend taking a full backup or snapshot of the file server before making any changes. It's also wise to test the command on a small, non-critical set of folders first.

The core command you would use looks like this, run from an elevated Command Prompt:

icacls "D:\YourRootFolder\*" /inheritance:r /grant:r "Domain\Group1":(R) "Domain\Group2":(R)

However, this basic example has a significant drawback: you must list every single group explicitly to grant them read permission. A more practical and safer approach is a two-step PowerShell script that:

Removes all existing explicit permissions.

Grants a specified set of groups read-only access.

Given the complexity and risk, using a well-tested PowerShell script is the recommended method for a task of this scale. Would you like me to provide a sample script structure for this two-step process?

Hope this points you in the right direction. If this answer is helpful, please feel free to mark it as accepted :)

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Remove read permission in many groups

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