File permissions are a much needed addition to Windows, but occasionally it can get on your nerves. There may be times when you will need to take ownership of a file or a folder in Windows. Sure, you can modify permissions through the file properties dialogue box. However, there are a couple of much simpler alternatives.

The first alternative is to use the registry files provided by Vishal Gupta from AskVG. Just double click on the Add Take Ownership Option.reg to apply the required changes to your registry. This modifies the discretionary access control lists and grants you permission to do whatever you wish with the file/folder. After this you should be able to take ownership of any file/folder through the right click context menu. Undoing the changes is as simple as running the Remove Take Ownership Option.reg file.

The second option is to use the Rizone Take Ownership Shell Extension. This is a portable utility which essentially does the same thing. You can create and delete the context menu entry with a single click. The utility doesn’t itself require any installation and is a tiny download.
Both of these are good options. Chose the one you feel comfortable with.