cacls

Not to be confused with calc.exe.

In Microsoft Windows, cacls, and its replacement icacls, are native command-line utilities capable of displaying and modifying the security descriptors on folders and files.^[1][2] An access-control list is a list of permissions for securable object, such as a file or folder, that controls who can access it. The cacls command is also available on ReactOS.

cacls

cacls

The ReactOS cacls command
Developer(s)	Microsoft, Thomas Weidenmueller
Initial release	1994, 29–30 years ago
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, ReactOS
Type	Command
License	Windows: Proprietary commercial software ReactOS: GNU Lesser General Public License
Website	docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/cacls

The cacls.exe utility is a deprecated command line editor of directory and file security descriptors in Windows NT 3.5 and later operating systems of the Windows NT family.^[3] Microsoft has produced the following newer utilities, some also subsequently deprecated, that offer enhancements to support changes introduced with version 3.0 of the NTFS filesystem:

• xcacls.exe^[4][5][6][7] is supported by Windows 2000 and later and adds new features like setting Execute, Delete and Take Ownership permissions
• xcacls.vbs^[8][9]
• fileacl.exe ^[10]
• icacls.exe (included in Windows Server 2003 SP2 and later)^[11][12]
• SubInAcl.exe - Resource Kit utility to set and replace permissions on various type of objects including files, services and registry keys
• Windows PowerShell (Get-Acl^[13] and Set-Acl^[14] cmdlets)

The ReactOS version was developed by Thomas Weidenmueller and is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License.^[15]

icacls

icacls

Developer(s)	Microsoft
Initial release	2007, 16–17 years ago
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Type	Command
License	Proprietary commercial software
Website	docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/icacls

Stands for Integrity Control Access Control List.^{[citation needed]} Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 and later include icacls, an in-box command-line utility that can display, modify, backup and restore ACLs for files and folders, as well as to set integrity levels and ownership in Vista and later versions.^[16] It is not a complete replacement for cacls, however. For example, it does not support Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) syntax directly via command line parameters (only via the /restore option).

See also

• SetACL
• chmod
• takeown

References

1. "Microsoft DOS cacls command". Computer Hope. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
2. "CACLS.exe". SS64.com. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
3. "MS-DOS and Windows command line calcs command".
4. "How to use Xcacls.exe to modify NTFS permissions (Revision: 4.5)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft Corporation. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
5. "Xcacls syntax". Microsoft TechNet. Microsoft Corporation. 28 March 2003. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
6. "Windows 2000 Resource Kit Tool: Xcacls.exe". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. 15 May 2002. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
7. "Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. 10 August 2004. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
8. "How to use Xcacls.vbs to modify NTFS permissions (Revision: 2.4)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft Corporation. 30 October 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
9. "Extended Change Access Control List Tool (Xcacls)" (2 July 2004). Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 24 December 2011. Xcacls.vbs is an unsupported tool that provides additional capabilities not provided with the supported utility, Xcacls.exe.
10. . Microsoft. 2004-03-23. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009.
11. "The Icacls.exe utility is available for Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (Revision: 4.0)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft Corporation. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
12. "Icacls". Microsoft TechNet. Microsoft Corporation. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
13. "Get-Acl". Microsoft TechNet. Microsoft Corporation. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
14. "Set-Acl". Microsoft TechNet. Microsoft Corporation. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
15. cacls.c on GitHub
16. MS-DOS and Windows command line icacls command

Further reading

• "Cacls". Microsoft Windows XP Professional Product Documentation. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
• "Xcacls Overview". Microsoft TechNet. Microsoft Corporation. 28 March 2003. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
• "DACLs and ACEs". Microsoft Developers Network. Microsoft Corporation. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
• Bradley, Tony (2 November 2010). "Introduction to Windows Integrity Control". SecurityFocus. Symantec. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
• The Security Descriptor Definition Language of Love (Part 1)

External links

 

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Guide to Windows Commands

• cacls | Microsoft Docs
• icacls | Microsoft Docs