Sharing Files and Folders With Specific Users #

The easiest way to share files and folders with specific users is to use MyQuickCloud spaces. Spaces can be easily controlled by an admin user through MyQuickCloud, if you want to know more about Spaces then check out our guide here. However if you already have folders saved elsewhere, or perhaps you have a network drive that you want to control permissions for, then this article will give you an overview of how to share files and folders in MyQuickCloud.

Please Note: Changing permissions through Windows can result in you locking yourself out of your files, folders and even your computer entirely so proceed with caution and always make a backup before making changes to your system files and folder.

Step 1 – Create a Shared Folder #

  • Open Windows Explorer and go to your C: Drive.
  • Create a new folder and give it a name, in this example we’ve used MQC_Data.
  • Right click and select Properties.
  • Click on the Security tab.
  • Click Edit.
  • Click Add.
  • In the object names field type Everyone and then click OK.
  • Click Apply and then click OK.

Step 2 – Creating Sub-Folders and Restricting Access #

For Windows 8+:

  • Open a Windows Explorer and navigate to your new shared folder.
  • Create a new folder and give it a name, in this example we’ve used Storage.
  • Right click and select Properties.
  • Click on the Security tab.
  • Click Advanced.
  • Click Disable inheritance then click Remove all inherited permissions from this object.
  • Click Apply and then click OK.

For other versions of Windows:

  • Open a Windows Explorer and navigate to your new shared folder.
  • Create a new folder and give it a name, in this example we’ve used Storage.
  • Right click and select Properties.
  • Click on the Security tab.
  • Click Advanced.
  • In the Permissions tab click Change Permissions.
  • Uncheck the Include inheritable permissions from this object’s parent.
  • Click Add on the window that pops up.
  • Select the Users group and click Remove then click OK.

The folder is now restricted to Windows system and local administrators. To grant other users access to the folder, please do the following:

Step 3 – Granting Specific Users Access #

  • Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the shared folder.
  • Right click and select Properties.
  • Click on the Security tab and click Edit.
  • Click Add and then type the username you wish to grant access.
  • Click OK.
  • Select the username from the list and tick the Allow column for Full control.
  • Click Apply and then click OK.

Repeat this process for each folder you wish to grant permissions to. Users will be unable to access folders that you do not grant permissions to. We recommend that you grant your own username Full Control to all folders you create to ensure that you are able to manage the permissions.

What do the different access rights mean? #

Full Control: allows you to read, write, modify, execute, change attributes, permissions, and take ownership of the file.

Modify: allows you to read, write, modify, execute, and change the file’s attributes.

Read & Execute: will allow you to display the file’s data, attributes, owner, and permissions, and run the file if its a program.

Read: will allow you to open the file, view its attributes, owner, and permissions.

Write: will allow you to write data to the file, append to the file, and read or change its attributes.

Further Help #

Microsoft has an article going into lots of detail about File and Folder Permissions.