How to Add Reset Permissions to Context Menu in Windows 11

Before modifying the registry, create a restore point to protect your system. This allows you to revert changes if something goes wrong.

rstrui.exe

Alternatively, use the GUI method:

1. Press Win + S and search for "Create a restore point"
2. Click on the result to open System Properties
3. Click Create button
4. Name it "Before Reset Permissions Context Menu" and click Create

Create the registry file that will add the Reset Permissions option to your context menu. Open Notepad and create the following file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ResetPermissions]
"MUIVerb"="Reset Permissions"
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"
"Extended"=-

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ResetPermissions\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c icacls \\\"%1\\\" /reset' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\ResetPermissions]
"MUIVerb"="Reset Permissions"
"HasLUAShield"=""
"Position"="middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\ResetPermissions\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c icacls \\\"%1\\\" /reset' -Verb runAs\""

Save this file as Add_Reset_Permissions.reg on your Desktop. Make sure to select "All Files" in the Save as type dropdown and add the .reg extension manually.

Now apply the registry changes by double-clicking the .reg file you created:

1. Double-click Add_Reset_Permissions.reg on your Desktop
2. Click Run when Windows asks if you want to run this file
3. Click Yes when UAC prompts for administrator permission
4. Click Yes when Registry Editor asks if you want to add the information
5. Click OK when you see "Information in Add_Reset_Permissions.reg has been successfully entered into the registry"

For the context menu changes to take effect, restart Windows Explorer process:

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe && start explorer.exe

Or use the Task Manager method:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
2. Find Windows Explorer in the Processes tab
3. Right-click it and select Restart

Your taskbar and desktop will disappear briefly and then reappear.

Test the new context menu option on a file or folder:

1. Navigate to any folder in File Explorer
2. Right-click on a file or folder
3. Click Show more options (this is required in Windows 11)
4. Look for Reset Permissions in the context menu
5. Click on it to test (it will prompt for administrator permission)

The command will run in the background and reset the permissions to their default inherited state.

icacls "C:\path\to\your\test\file" /verify

If you want to see the command output when resetting permissions, create an alternative version that shows the Command Prompt window:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ResetPermissionsWithOutput]
"MUIVerb"="Reset Permissions (Show Output)"
"HasLUAShield"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Position"="middle"
"Extended"=-

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ResetPermissionsWithOutput\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c icacls \\\"%1\\\" /reset & pause' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\ResetPermissionsWithOutput]
"MUIVerb"="Reset Permissions (Show Output)"
"HasLUAShield"=""
"Position"="middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\ResetPermissionsWithOutput\command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/c icacls \\\"%1\\\" /reset & pause' -Verb runAs\""

Save this as Add_Reset_Permissions_With_Output.reg and apply it the same way as before.

Test the Reset Permissions feature with various scenarios to ensure it works correctly:

Test Scenarios:

1. Regular files: Right-click any .txt, .docx, or image file
2. Folders: Right-click any folder in your user directory
3. System files: Try with files in C:\Windows (requires admin rights)
4. Network drives: Test on mapped network drives (may not work)

For each test, verify the permissions were reset by checking the Security tab:

1. Right-click the file/folder
2. Select Properties
3. Go to the Security tab
4. Click Advanced
5. Check that permissions show as "Inherited from parent object"

icacls "C:\path\to\test\item" /t

Create a registry file to remove the Reset Permissions context menu if you ever want to uninstall it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ResetPermissions]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\ResetPermissions]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ResetPermissionsWithOutput]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\ResetPermissionsWithOutput]

Save this as Remove_Reset_Permissions.reg on your Desktop for future use.

To remove the context menu entries:

1. Double-click Remove_Reset_Permissions.reg
2. Click Run, then Yes to UAC, then Yes to confirm
3. Restart Windows Explorer using the method from Step 4