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Cacls

Microsoft Windows and ReactOS native command line utility

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 8, 2026
Entity authorityQ3649398 ↗
Source-derived summary

In Microsoft Windows, cacls, and its replacement icacls, are native command-line utilities that can display and modify the security descriptors on files and folders. An access-control list is a list of permissions for securable object, such as a file or folder, that controls who can access it. The cacls command is also available on ReactOS.

cacls

The cacls.exe utility is a deprecated command line editor of directory and file security descriptors in Windows NT 3.5 and later operating systems of the Windows NT family. Microsoft has produced the following newer utilities, some also subsequently deprecated, that offer enhancements to support changes introduced with version 3.0 of the NTFS filesystem:

xcacls.exe is supported by Windows 2000 and later and adds new features like setting Execute, Delete and Take Ownership permissions

xcacls.vbs

fileacl.exe

icacls.exe (included in Windows Server 2003 SP2 and later)

SubInAcl.exe - Resource Kit utility to set and replace permissions on various type of objects including files, services and registry keys

Windows PowerShell (Get-Acl and Set-Acl cmdlets)

The ReactOS version was developed by Thomas Weidenmueller and is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License.

icacls

Stands for Integrity Control Access Control List. Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 and later include icacls, an in-box command-line utility that can display, modify, backup and restore ACLs for files and folders, as well as to set integrity levels and ownership in Vista and later versions. It is not a complete replacement for cacls, however. For example, it does not support Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) syntax directly via command line parameters (only via the /restore option).

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Cacls” as microsoft Windows and ReactOS native command line utility. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2000, 2003—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Cacls, Microsoft and Windows can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as microsoft Windows and ReactOS native command line utility. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3649398. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2000 and 2003.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Cacls”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Cacls primary sources, Cacls archive and Cacls research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cacls”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Cacls” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.