What happened to the permissions when you moved the folder to its new location?

What happens to NTFS permissions if you copy or move the files or folders? The answer is: it depends. Read more to learn what happens!

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• Before you begin
• File permissions
• Notifications when moving files
• What should your organization do?
• What happens to the permissions of a file if you move the file to a folder within the same volume?
• What happens to the permissions of a file or folder that is moved to a different NTFS volume?
• What happens to permissions when a file is copied and put in another drive?
• What happens if you click and drag a folder to a new location?

To give you a clearer explanation, consider the following three scenarios. Let’s assume that you are going to copy “D:MyFolder” and let’s assume that “D:” has an NTFS format.

Copying Files between NTFS Partitions

Move D:MyFolder to D:MyFiles

Results:

• The file or folder retains its original NTFS permissions.
• You must have the “Write” permission set up for the destination folder to move files and folders into that folder.
• You must have the “Modify” permission set up for the source file or folder. The “Modify” permission is required to move a file or folder because Windows 2000 deletes files and folders from the source folder after they are copied to the destination folder.
• You become the creator and owner.

Note: If you move folders with a lot of files or subfolders, it might take some time to move all the items to the new location.

Before you begin

To move files or folders from a shared folder to My Drive:

• Make sure to share the item with can Edit access.
• Enable the Editors can change permissions and share setting for the file or folder. For instructions, go to Restrict sharing options on Drive files.

File permissions

Moving a file or folder from a shared folder into My Drive is a move and not a copy. The moved content is no longer in the shared folder. As a result:

• Any permissions that the moved content inherited from the shared folder are removed. It inherits new permissions from the destination folder, in addition to other, explicitly set, permissions.
• Users no longer see the moved files or folders in the shared folder.

Example

1. A user shared a file with users A and B.
   Users A and B have access to the file, regardless of its location.
2. A user shared a file stored in folder X with users A and C.
   Users A, B, and C have access to the file.
3. A file that is shared with user D is moved to folder Y.
   Users A, B and D have access to the file, but user C no longer sees it in folder X and no longer has access to the file.

Notifications when moving files

When a user moves a file from a shared folder to My Drive, they see a warning before the move takes effect. This notification helps reduce the risk of a user accidentally moving files and removing access from other users.

If the user proceeds with the move, they see another message notifying them of the change, giving them a chance to undo it.

Users can also track activity for files and folders in My Drive to see the history of any changes, including notices when files are moved. So, if you share a folder from My Drive and someone moves an item out of the shared folder, you can see a notice in the activity history that the file was removed. The notice also tells you who moved the file and when.

What should your organization do?

If your organization doesn’t have an extensive shared folder structure, you might not need to do anything. However, organizations that use shared folders extensively might:

• Consider using shared drives in your organization instead of sharing folders—Read What are shared drives?
• Lock down your shared folders to Can view access only—If a user only has view access to a folder, they can’t remove or add files to it. This is the safest way to ensure someone doesn’t add or remove content from a shared folder. However, develop a business process to identify people with the can Edit sharing setting for a shared folder. Alternatively, you might want to educate your users to be careful about granting edit access to shared folders.
• Add shortcuts instead of moving files—Train your users to add shortcuts wherever they want to access a file from another folder. Refer them to Create a shortcut for a file or folder and Find files & folders with Google Drive shortcuts.

Tip: If an item shows up in your My Drive root that previously wasn't there, read Find a file you don't think you deleted.

This behavior of permissions is EXPECTED in NTFS volumes due to the design of NTFS Access Control List (ACL)s.

According to Microsoft's KB article: How permissions are handled when you copy and move files and folders, by default an object inherits permissions from its parent object, either at the time of creation or when it is copied or moved to its parent folder. The only exception to this rule occurs when you move an object to a different folder on the same volume. In this case, the original permissions are retained.

NetApp's SMB server will act like a modern Windows SMB server with regards to inheritance.

Test the same operation from the same client against a Windows SMB server configured in the same manner.

If everything is identical, take packet traces against the "working" SMB server and against the NetApp SMB which is not behaving as expected.

Record the following information:

• Client ip
• Server ip
• Full path to the folder being copied to
• File name being copied to the folder
• Get the full output of the ACL's on the parent directory before moving file.
• Note the exact time
• Start the trace
• disconnect the smb session
• Reconnect to the share and perform the operation
• Stop the packet trace
• Get the full output of the ACL's on both the parent directory and on the file itself after the operation has completed

Additional Information

Related Microsoft KB Links:

• Inherited permissions are not automatically updated when you move folders
• HOW TO: Copy a Folder to Another Folder and Retain its Permissions
• How permissions are handled when you copy and move files and folders

NetApp provides no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or reliability or serviceability of any information or recommendations provided in this publication or with respect to any results that may be obtained by the use of the information or observance of any recommendations provided herein. The information in this document is distributed AS IS and the use of this information or the implementation of any recommendations or techniques herein is a customer's responsibility and depends on the customer's ability to evaluate and integrate them into the customer's operational environment. This document and the information contained herein may be used solely in connection with the NetApp products discussed in this document.

What happens to the permissions of a file if you move the file to a folder within the same volume?

What happens to the permissions of a file or folder that is moved to a different NTFS volume?

What happens to permissions when a file is copied and put in another drive?

What happens if you click and drag a folder to a new location?