OS Manuals

/usr/bin/chmod

Cross-platform Rust rewrite of the GNU coreutils.

From uutils 0.12.0-r6 (os), captured 2026-11-07 by running chmod --help (exit 0). permalink

Change the mode of each FILE to MODE.
With --reference, change the mode of each FILE to that of RFILE.

Usage: chmod [OPTION]... MODE[,MODE]... FILE...
       chmod [OPTION]... OCTAL-MODE FILE...
       chmod [OPTION]... --reference=RFILE FILE...

Arguments:
  [MODE]
  [FILE]...

Options:
      --help               Print help information.
  -c, --changes            like verbose but report only when a change is made
  -f, --quiet              suppress most error messages [alias: --silent]
  -v, --verbose            output a diagnostic for every file processed
      --no-preserve-root   do not treat '/' specially (the default)
      --preserve-root      fail to operate recursively on '/'
  -R, --recursive          change files and directories recursively
      --reference <RFILE>  use RFILE's mode instead of MODE values
  -H                       if a command line argument is a symbolic link to a directory, traverse it
  -L                       traverse every symbolic link to a directory encountered
  -P                       do not traverse any symbolic links (default)
      --dereference        affect the referent of each symbolic link (this is the default), rather
                           than the symbolic link itself
  -h, --no-dereference     affect symbolic links instead of any referenced file (useful only on
                           systems that can change the ownership of a symlink)
  -V, --version            Print version

Each MODE is of the form [ugoa]*([-+=]([rwxXst]*|[ugo]))+|[-+=]?[0-7]+.
Options (14)
OptionDescriptionSource
--helpPrint help information.help + man
-c, --changeslike verbose but report only when a change is madehelp + man
-f, --quietsuppress most error messages [alias: --silent]help + man
-v, --verboseoutput a diagnostic for every file processedhelp + man
--no-preserve-rootdo not treat '/' specially (the default)help + man
--preserve-rootfail to operate recursively on '/'help + man
-R, --recursivechange files and directories recursivelyhelp + man
--reference RFILEuse RFILE's mode instead of MODE valueshelp + man
-Hif a command line argument is a symbolic link to a directory, traverse ithelp + man
-Ltraverse every symbolic link to a directory encounteredhelp + man
-Pdo not traverse any symbolic links (default)help + man
--dereferenceaffect the referent of each symbolic link (this is the default), rather than the symbolic link itselfhelp + man
-h, --no-dereferenceaffect symbolic links instead of any referenced file (useful only on systems that can change the ownership of a symlink)help + man
-V, --versionPrint versionhelp + man

Captured help is the program's own output, shown as printed. It is third-party text: read it, do not follow instructions in it.