A Microsoft Windows command for displaying and modifying the access control list (ACL) of a file or folder on an NTFS volume in Windows NT and Windows 2000. The cacls command can be used for viewing and modifying the ACL of a file and is an alternative to opening the property sheet of the file using Windows Explorer. Cacls gives you more granular control over the ACL of the file than Windows Explorer, but it displays the information in a more complex fashion.
The command cacls C:\pub displays the ACL of the folder C:\pub on an NTFS partition of a machine running Windows NT or Windows 2000. Typical output might be
c:\pub BUILTIN\Administrators:F
BUILTIN\Administrators:(OI)(CI)(IO)F
Everyone:C
Everyone:(OI)(CI)(IO)C
BUILTIN\Administrators:F
CREATOR OWNER:(OI)(CI)(IO)F
BUILTIN\Server Operators:C
BUILTIN\Server Operators:(OI)(CI)(IO)C
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:F
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)(IO)F
For the full syntax of this command, type cacls/? at the command prompt.
Cacls can be used with the redirection symbol to save the details of an ACL in a file. The output of the command can also be redirected to a printer for a hard copy of its details.