Restrict Others to Access Files or Folders in Windows Vista

Nearly all of us use our computers in a shared environment with our family members, friends etc. But sometimes we may want set some permissions so that we can actually limit the access to certain folders which do not lie in our My Documents, My Pictures etc.

The following steps can help us to restrict others to access important files or folders on the computer .

Set File or Folder Security

1. Right click on the folder which you want to block from other users and select Properties.

2. Then click the Security tab in the folder properties window, and then click the Edit button.

3. Click on the Add button to open the “Select Users or Group” window.

4. Now you can enter the username of the account for which you want restrict access in the text box (Use the “Check Names” button to validate)
or
If you are not sure about the username then click the Advanced button, which opens the search window.

5. To search all users click the Find Now button and then locate the user which you want restrict access to the folder and click OK. Now, you will see the username listed in the Security Permissions window, click on the username to select.

6. Select the Deny Permissions for that user by checking the Deny box for Full Control.

7. Now, you will be shown a Windows Security message which in short says that Deny entries always override the allow permissions. Click Yes, and then click OK.

In this way you have restricted access to the folder for a particular user

Tip: You can also restrict access to all the users in vista type Everyone as the username, but this will also include your account as it is also a part of Everyone user group.