How to Use the Set-Acl Cmdlet in PowerShell?

The “Set-Acl” cmdlet is the short form of the “Set Access Control List”. It is used to set the access control list permissions from a file or an object. The “Set-Acl” cmdlet changes the security descriptor of a specified item, such as a registry key, or a file in PowerShell. Moreover, it matches the values in the security descriptor that were supplied by the user. A “Security Descriptor” contains the security information associated with a securable object.

In this post, the “Set-Acl” cmdlet will be illustrated with the aid of numerous examples.

How to use the Set-Acl Cmdlet in PowerShell?

To use the stated cmdlet, first, specify the “Set-Acl” cmdlet. Then, use the “-Path” parameter to specify the registry key or a file address along with the “-AclObject” parameter and assign it to the security descriptor whose values need to be supplied.

Let’s walk through some of the examples regarding the “Set-Acl” cmdlet to learn more about its usage.

Example 1: Use the “Set-Acl” Cmdlet to Pass a Descriptor Using the Pipeline Operator
At first, use the “Get-Acl” cmdlet along with the “-Path” parameter and provide the path to get the security descriptor. Then, pipe it to another file using the “Set-Acl” cmdlet:

Run the provided command to check the descriptor of a file was copied to another file or not:

Example 2: Use the “Set-Acl” Cmdlet to Copy a Descriptor from One File to Another
Execute the following code to copy one file’s descriptor to another file:

According to the above code:

• First, initialize a variable and assign it a file using the “Get-Acl” cmdlet.
• Next, use the “Set-Acl” cmdlet, then add the “-Path” parameter and assign it the file address.
• Lastly, use the “-AclObject” parameter and specify the above-stated variable:

Example 3: Use the “Set-Acl” Cmdlet to Apply Descriptor to Multiple Files
Run the below-given code to apply the descriptor of one file to all files in the specified folder:

Here:

• First, initialize a variable “$Var1Acl” and assign it the “Get-Acl” cmdlet to retrieve file details.
• Then, use the “Get-ChildItem” cmdlet along with the “-Path” parameter and assign it to the directory containing multiple files.
• Next, use the “-Recurse” parameter to look for the files even in the subdirectories.
• Use the “-Include” parameter and specify the “*.txt” value to only select the text files after that pipe it to the variable “$Var1Acl” using the “Set-Acl” cmdlet:

That’s all! We have provided the usage of the “Set-Acl” cmdlet in PowerShell.

Conclusion

PowerShell’s “Set-Acl” cmdlet is used to change the security descriptor of a specified item, registry key, or file. It uses the “-AclObject” parameter to specify the security descriptor. The provided security descriptor contains values that need to be supplied. This post elaborated on the usage of the “Set-Acl” cmdlet in PowerShell.