To automate NTFS permissions in modern environments, you should use icacls or PowerShell (Set-Acl) because Xcacls is a legacy tool that Microsoft has officially deprecated.
While Xcacls.exe and its successor xcacls.vbs were heavily used in older versions of Windows (like Windows 2000 and XP), the built-in Microsoft Learn icacls utility replaces them, providing better stability, native availability, and advanced inheritance controls.
However, if you must manage legacy infrastructure using Xcacls, or prefer to use modern automation via icacls, both methods are detailed below. Method 1: The Modern Standard (icacls)
Because icacls comes pre-installed on all modern Windows operating systems, it is the safest and most efficient tool for automated batch scripts (.bat) or automated deployments. Core icacls Syntax
icacls Use code with caution. Key Automation Switches: /T: Recurse through all subdirectories and files.
/C: Continue executing even if an “Access Denied” error occurs on a file.
/Q: Quiet mode; suppresses success messages to improve script execution speed. Permission Mask Codes: YouTube·NetworkChuck Academy