When I change the permissions on a item/document in a library/list the permissions are also changed on the library/list even though I stopped inheritance. When I change the permissions on the library/list it also changes permissions on items/documents in that list even if inheritance is removed.

Hi, make sure you have the correct permissions to change the inheritance settings and try to break inheritiance and then inherit again. Cheers,Daniel Bugday Web: SharePoint Forum Blog: SharePoint By Bugday

I have the permissions to change this. That is part of the problem. The changes take effect but it affects the list permissions along with the item.

When I change the permissions on a item/document in a library/list the permissions are also changed on the library/list even though I stopped inheritance. Do you mean that Limited Access permission level is added? It is by design. If a user has permission on an item, but does not have permission to its parent container such as library and site, the user may not be able to navigate to the item. So, the Limited Access is introduced. Please read what follows from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-sharepoint-services-help/permission-levels-and-permissions-HA010100149.aspx : Limited Access The Limited Access permission level is designed to be combined with fine-grained permissions to give users access to a specific list, document library, item, or document, without giving them access to the entire site. However, to access a list or library, for example, a user must have permission to open the parent Web site and read shared data such as the theme and navigation bars of the Web site. The Limited Access permission level cannot be customized or deleted. Note You cannot assign this permission level to users or SharePoint groups. Instead, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 automatically assigns this permission level to users and SharePoint groups when you grant them access to an object on your site that requires that they have access to a higher level object on which they do not have permissions. For example, if you grant users access to an item in a list and they do not have access to the list itself, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 automatically grants them Limited Access on the list, and also the site, if needed. When I change the permissions on the library/list it also changes permissions on items/documents in that list even if inheritance is removed. Do you mean that once you remove user permissions in the library (the user permission assignment line is deleted), the user permission is also removed for the item? I can reproduce this, it think this is because the limited access permission is removed in the parent container (library/list). Gu Yuming TechNet Subscriber Support in forum If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.com