To access this command, select any for any folder on your Mac in the Finder and choose Get Info (Command-I). If you look down to the lower portion of the Get Info window, you'll find the Sharing & Permissions section. Click the locked padlock icon, enter your account password, and then click the Action pop-up menu.

You can set batch file permissions from this portion of the Finder's Get Info window.

The idea behind the command is this: Suppose you want to change the permissions settings of most or all the items in a given folder. Perhaps you want to modify permissions so you can access the content of files you would normally be prevented from editing. Or perhaps the permissions of your own files have somehow gotten messed up so that you can no longer copy or move them.

Either way, "Apply to enclosed folders" can help. Rather than having to modify the permissions of each file individually, this command simultaneously changes the permissions of all the items in the selected folder--to match the settings listed the Sharing & Permissions section of the folder's Get Info window. Assuming the folder has the desired permissions settings, this command can quickly remedy your problem.

So far so good. The main problem is that this command has long been a quirky feature that often doesn't work the way you intended. Worse, if used on the wrong folder, it can wreak havoc even if you think everything has gone exactly as planned.