CHOWN(1)                                                 CHOWN(1)



NAME

       chown - change file owner and group


SYNOPSIS

       chown [options] user[:group] file...

       POSIX options: [-R] [--]

       GNU  options  (shortest  form):  [-cfhvR]  [--dereference]
       [--reference=rfile] [--help] [--version] [--]


DESCRIPTION

       chown changes the user  and/or  group  ownership  of  each
       given  file  as specified by the first non-option argument
       as follows: if only a user name (or numeric  user  ID)  is
       given, that user is made the owner of each given file, and
       the files' group is not changed.  If the user name is fol-
       lowed  by  a colon and a group name (or numeric group ID),
       with no spaces between them, the group  ownership  of  the
       files is changed as well.


GNU DETAILS

       The GNU version allows a dot instead of a colon (following
       BSD).  [This was not allowed by POSIX since  a  dot  is  a
       valid character in a user name.]  If a colon or dot but no
       group name follows the user name, that user  is  made  the
       owner  of  the files and the group of the files is changed
       to that user's login group.  If the colon or dot and group
       are given, but the user name is omitted, only the group of
       the files is changed; in this  case,  chown  performs  the
       same function as chgrp.


POSIX OPTIONS

       -R     Recursively  change  ownership  of  directories and
              their contents.

       --     Terminate option list.


GNU OPTIONS

       -c, --changes
              Verbosely describe the action for each  file  whose
              ownership actually changes.

       -f, --silent, --quiet
              Do  not print error messages about files whose own-
              ership cannot be changed.

       -h, --no-dereference
              Act on symbolic links themselves  instead  of  what
              they point to.  Only available if the lchown system
              call is provided.

       -v, --verbose
              Verbosely describe the action (or non-action) taken



GNU fileutils 4.0         November 1998                         1





CHOWN(1)                                                 CHOWN(1)


              for every file.

       -R, --recursive
              Recursively  change  ownership  of  directories and
              their contents.

       --dereference
              Change the ownership of the target  of  a  symbolic
              link  instead of the symbolic link itself.  (New in
              fileutils-4.0.)

       --reference=rfile
              (New in fileutils 4.0.)  Change  the  ownership  of
              file to that of rfile.


GNU STANDARD OPTIONS

       --help Print  a  usage message on standard output and exit
              successfully.

       --version
              Print version information on standard output,  then
              exit successfully.

       --     Terminate option list.


ENVIRONMENT

       The  variables LANG, LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE and LC_MESSAGES have
       the usual meaning.


CONFORMING TO

       POSIX 1003.2 does not allow use of the  dot  as  separator
       between user name and group name.


NOTES

       This  page  describes  chown as found in the fileutils-4.0
       package; other versions may differ slightly.  Mail correc-
       tions  and  additions  to  aeb@cwi.nl.  Report bugs in the
       program to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.



















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