Windows 10: Cannot remove read-only attributes from some files in a folder in Win 10

Hello,


I've been reading the numerous posts about people having trouble removing the read-only attribute from files in Windows 10. I'm having the same difficulty but my situation is a little different, so I'm wondering if someone can shed some light on this for me.


I upload files from my phone and tablet to my account on Dropbox, then sync the files to my PC to a folder called c:\dropbox\camera uploads. There are *some* files that I can edit using a photo editing program, but the bulk of them are not editable. I've tried the Take Ownership utility, tried to uncheck then reset then set the property again, then unset it, to no avail.


The funny thing is that not all of the files in the folder exhibit this problem. I should also mention there are a HUGE number of files in this folder (over 27,000) but that should not matter.


I'm logging into my Windows 10 machine at home on my WiFi network using my Microsoft account, but my local username on my machine is different (it's not my email address).


Does anyone have an idea what the problem could be? I think I should be able to edit files that I store on Dropbox that have been synced to my local machine.


Thank you! (I can provide Windows version #s, etc. if need be.)

:)

 

Read Only Attribute in Win 10

Hi Alexandru,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Communities.

I will be glad to help you with the issue you have with the computer. I understand the frustration when things don't work the way it should.

You may experience any of the following symptoms:

• You cannot view or change the Read-only or System attributes of a folder by using the
  Properties dialog box for the folder. For example, you may experience the following symptoms:
  • When you view the General tab of a folder's Properties dialog box, the
    Read-only check box is not available, and there is no check box to change the System attribute.
    
  • You click to clear or click to select the Read-only check box on the
    General tab of a folder's Properties dialog box. When you click
    OK or Apply, you receive the following message:
    Confirm Attribute Changes
    
    You have chosen to make the following attribute changes:
    
    unset read-only
    
    Do you want to apply this change to this folder only, or do you want to apply it to all subfolders and files as well?
    If you click Apply changes to this folder only, the Read-only attribute is changed for all the files in the folder. However, the Read-only attribute is not changed for the folder, its subfolders, or any files in its subfolders. If you click
    Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files, the Read-only attribute is changed for all files in the folder and all files in the subfolders. However, the Read-only attribute is not changed for the folder or its subfolders.
• Some programs may display error messages when you try to save files to a folder that uses the Read-only or System attribute. As a result, these programs may not be able to save files to the folder.

To work around this problem, use the Attrib command at a command prompt (Cmd.exe) to view or to remove the Read-only or the System attributes of folders. To view or to remove the Read-only or the System attributes of folders
Warning If you remove the Read-only or System attribute from a folder, it may appear as a ordinary folder and some customizations may be lost. For example, Windows customizes the Fonts folder and provides a special folder view that permits you
to hide variations, such as bold and italic. It also permits you to change the folder's view settings in ways that are specific to fonts. If you remove the Read-only and System attributes of the Fonts folder, these customized view settings are not available.
For folders that you have customized by using the Customize tab of the folder's
Properties dialog box, the folder icon and other other customizations may be lost when you remove the Read-only attribute.

If a program cannot save files to a folder with the Read-only attribute, such as My Documents, change the Read-only attribute to System by using the Attrib command at a command prompt.

Note If the Run command is not listed on the
Start menu, do the following: Click Start, click
All Programs, click Accessories, and then click
Run.

To remove the Read-only attribute and to set the System attribute, use the following command:

attrib -r +s drive:\<path>\<foldername>
For example, to remove the Read-only attribute and to set the System attribute for the C:\Test folder, use the following command:
attrib -r +s c:\test
Be aware that some programs may not operate correctly with folders for which the System attribute and the Read-only attribute are set. Therefore, use the following command to remove these attributes:
attrib -r -s c:\test

Hope this information is helpful. Please post in case you have any further issues, we will be glad to help you further.

Thank you.

 

How to remove Read Only attribute from Files and Folders?

Old title: Read Only

Hello Charles,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

Let us know few things to assist you better in this regard.

Are you concerned about removing Read Only Attribute from Files/Folders option?

Are you referring to the error Read Only while accessing files/folders?

Do you have any problem in unchecking Read Only option?

Windows Explorer uses the Read-Only attribute to determine whether or not the folder is customized. However you can't remove the attribute permanently from the Files/Folder options. Instead you can make changes accordingly if you're getting Read only error
while accessing files or folders.

• 
  Open the properties of the main
  User Profile folder where the files are located (such as Documents, Pictures, etc.). You can open the properties of a particular folder by
  Right-clicking on it and select Properties from context menu.
  
• 
  Go to the Security tab and click
  Advanced.
  
• 
  Check the box at the bottom of this window. It is labeled "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object" and then click
  Ok.
  

Keep us posted for any concerns with windows, we're glad to assist you.

 

Remove read only from files

Hi,

Read-only is a file attribute, or a characteristic that the operating system assigns to a file. Files can be only opened or read with this attribute active. You cannot delete, change, or rename any file that’s been flagged as read-only.

To change the read-only attribute, follow the steps below:

• 
  Right-click the file or folder icon that you wanted to modify.
  
• 
  Remove the check mark by the Read-Only item in the file’s
  Properties dialog box.
  
  The attributes are found at the bottom of the General tab.
  
• 
  Click Apply then OK.
  

Hope this helps. Let us know if you need further assistance.