RtlSetProcessPlaceholderCompatibilityMode function (ntifs.h)

Article
02/22/2024

RtlSetProcessPlaceholderCompatibilityMode sets the placeholder compatibility mode for the current process.

Syntax

NTSYSAPI CHAR RtlSetProcessPlaceholderCompatibilityMode(
  CHAR Mode
);

Parameters

Mode

The placeholder compatibility mode to set.

Return value

This function returns the process's previous placeholder compatibility mode (PHCM_xxx), or a negative value on error (PCHM_ERROR_xxx).

It can be one of the following values:

Compatibility Mode	Value
PHCM_APPLICATION_DEFAULT	0
PHCM_DISGUISE_PLACEHOLDER	1
PHCM_EXPOSE_PLACEHOLDERS	2
PHCM_MAX	2
PHCM_ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER	-1
PHCM_ERROR_NO_TEB	-2

Remarks

When placeholders are exposed, characteristics such as the presence of a reparse point, the sparse bit, and the offline bit are plainly visible through directory enumeration and other types of file information queries. When placeholders are disguised, these details are completely hidden, making the file look like a normal file.

Most Windows applications see exposed placeholders by default. For compatibility reasons, Windows may decide that certain applications see disguised placeholders by default.

Requirements

Requirement	Value
Minimum supported client	Windows 10 (Version 1803)
Target Platform	Universal
Header	ntifs.h