What does “enable inheritance” do on windows 10

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What does “enable inheritance” do on windows 10

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3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Every person who uses a Windows computer is given their own “key” that they can use to unlock different items on the computer (like folders that store files, games and other applications, and tools that can be used change settings). The owner of the computer chooses who gets to open each different area.

There are thousands of these areas on each windows computer, so it would take a really long time to tell the computer who’s key is allowed to open each one of those areas. Inheritance allows the owner to “copy” that access from a higher level down to lower levels (like from a folder to every folder and file in that folder). It also automatically adds the same access to any new item that is created or placed in that folder.

to;dr: it just makes it easier for the owner, or administrator, to say which users should be allowed to use different areas of the computer.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Can you elaborate on where you’re finding this feature? That term can mean different things in a computing environment depending on the context.

For example, in a folder structure, newly created sub-folders by default are enabled to inherit permissions from their parent. I.e. if set the permissions so that all users on your network can access that folder remotely, then the same goes for new folders you create within it.

Generally, the same idea applies no matter the context, but it would be easier to elaborate.

Anonymous 0 Comments

This has to do with permissions. In the Windows file structure files are contained within folders, which in turn can be contained within other folders forming a branching tree for a directory. The folder above a file is called its “parent”. Access to specific files or folders can be controlled per user.

This means someone might be given access to a folder but not to some files within that folder. What enabling inheritance does is allow files and folders to “inherit” the permissions of the parent container. So if you create a file within a folder someone has access to they will automatically be given access to the file, rather than needing to explicitly be allowed.