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.
GNU fileutils 4.0 November 1998 2