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Why Do File Permissions Change When You Cut and Paste?

April 26, 2025 5 answers
Asked by silt-deposit
I recently had a frustrating experience with file permissions at work. Our main Active Directory (AD) manager is on vacation, and I was handling a ticket from a customer service rep who couldn't access a specific file in a folder where they otherwise had full modify rights. No matter what we tried, they couldn't open it. After some back and forth, I got advice from a former AD admin who explained that when you cut and paste a file, the permissions move with the file, while a copy/paste operation applies inherited permissions from the destination folder. This meant I had to refresh the permissions at the folder level to resolve the issue. So, I'm left wondering—why does it work this way?
access control cut paste file management file permissions NTFS system administration System Operations

Answers

pattern_repeat
This can vary depending on whether you’re moving files across different drives. If you’re moving from one volume to another, the system treats it like a copy and delete, which means the new file will inherit the target folder’s permissions rather than keeping the old ones.
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!select a category
When you move a file on the same volume, it's a true move—meaning all original attributes like permissions stay the same. But if you copy the file, it’s treated as a new object that gets the inherited permissions from the target location.
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Corker
This is a classic example of how Windows handles file operations. The important takeaway is that if permissions matter, it's often safer to copy the file and delete the original, or use tools like RoboCopy that let you manage ACLs more effectively.
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cursor.blink
I learned during my training years ago that with NTFS permissions, the rule is "Copy Inherit, Move Retain." So moving within the same volume keeps the permissions, but crossing volumes means you start fresh with the target folder’s ACL.
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After-the-buzzer
Cutting and pasting keeps the original permissions intact, while copying creates a new file that inherits permissions from the destination folder. It's like a shortcut for moving files without changing their access rights if you're staying within the same volume.
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