Linux in a Nutshell, 6th Edition

Name

chown

Synopsis

chown [options] newowner files
chown [options] --reference=filename files

Change the ownership of one or more files to newowner. newowner is either a user ID number or a login name located in /etc/passwd. chown also accepts users in the form newowner:newgroup or newowner.newgroup. The last two forms change the group ownership as well. If no owner is specified, the owner is unchanged. With a period or colon but no group, the group is changed to that of the new owner. Only the current owner of a file or a privileged user may change the owner.

Options

-c, --changes

Print information about files that are changed.

--dereference

Follow symbolic links.

-f, --silent, --quiet

Do not print error messages about files that cannot be changed.

--from=currown:currgroup

Only change owner and/or group if the current owner and group match those specified in --from. If currown or currgroup is omitted, a match is not required for that attribute.

-h, --no-dereference

Change the ownership of each symbolic link (on systems that allow it), rather than the referenced file.

-v, --verbose

Print information about all files that chown attempts to change, whether or not they are actually changed.

-R, --recursive

Traverse subdirectories recursively, applying changes.

-H

With -R, traverse symbolic link to a directory.

-L

With -R, traverse every symbolic link that leads to a directory.

-P

With -R, do not traverse any symbolic links. This is the default.

--reference=filename

Change owner to the owner of filename instead ...