How to Change File Permissions to 777 in Ubuntu?

In Ubuntu, permissions restrict access to files and directories. There are three categories of users for whom permissions can be set: the file’s owner, the members of the group that owns the file, and all others. Changing the file permissions to 777 will allow all users of the file to read, write and execute the file. In this tutorial, I will discuss how to change file permissions to 777 in Ubuntu.

Key Takeaways

• Learning about read, write & execute permission in Linux.
• Learning to change file permissions to 777 using the chmod.
• Knowing about frequently asked questions and their answers regarding file permission.

Requirements

• You must be a root user or have root/sudo access to Ubuntu.

Process Flow Chart

Distro Used Throughout the Tutorial: Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS

Read, Write & Execute Permissions in Linux

File and directory permissions are used in Linux to control resource access. Read, write, and execute permissions, which are denoted by the letters “r,” “w,” and “x,” respectively, are three basic forms of permissions. These permissions can be assigned to 3 types of users: the file or directory’s owner, the group that owns the file or directory, and others.

1. Read permission (r): Allows a user to view the contents of a file or lists of a directory, but cannot modify them.
2. Write permission (w): Allows a user to modify the contents of a file or to create, delete, or rename files in a directory. For example, a user with only written permission on a file can modify its contents but can’t view or execute it.
3. Execute permission (x): Allows a user to run an executable file or change into a directory, but can not view or write onto it.

Read, write, and execute permissions can be represented using either octal or binary numbers. Here is a table below showing octal representation, binary representation, file  permission set, and corresponding permissions of any file/directory.

Watch Change File Permissions to 777 in Ubuntu

Steps to Change File Permissions to 777 in Ubuntu

You can change file permissions to 777 in Ubuntu. This will assign read, write, and execute permission to the three types of users. Here, I am using the file Summer to change its permissions to 777. Follow the instructions below for a better understanding.

Steps to Follow >

➊ Start by pressing CTRL+ALT+T to open the Ubuntu Terminal.

➋ To view the current permissions of the Summer file, run the following command in the command prompt:

ls -l

As you can see, the output shows the file permissions.

➌ To change the permissions to 777, execute the following command in the command prompt:

chmod 777 Summer

❹ Finally, run the command below to check if the permissions of the Summer file are changed.

ls -l

As you can see in the image above, the permissions of the file Summer are changed to 777 using the chmod command.

Complementary Information

You will find the following information useful along with learning how to change file permissions to 777 in Ubuntu.

Change Permission of Directory and Subdirectory Using the chmod Command Recursively

You can change a directory and subdirectory’s permission at once using the chmod command in recursive mode. For this, you need to add the -R option to the chmod command. You can do this by following the procedure below.

Steps to Follow >

➊ Open the Terminal in Ubuntu.

➋ To view the current permissions of the Summer directory and its subdirectory Fruits, run the following commands in the command prompt:

ls -l

ls -l Summer

In the image above, you can view the current permission of the Summer directory.In the snapshot above, you can view the current permission of the subdirectory Fruits of the Summer directory.

➌ To change the permission of the directory and subdirectory concurrently, execute the following command in the command prompt:

chmod -R 764 Summer

❹ Finally, run the following commands to check if the permissions of the Summer directory and Fruits subdirectory are changed:

ls -l

ls -l Summer

As you can see in the image above, the permission of both the directory and subdirectory changed at the same time with a single command.

Change Ownership of File in Linux

You can change a file’s ownership using the chown command in Ubuntu. You can change the ownership to a specific user, specific group, or both the user and the group. I have shown you how you can change the ownership of a file to these user types below.

Change the Ownership of a File to a Specific User in Linux

You can change the ownership of a file to a specific user in Ubuntu. Here I am changing ownership of myfile.txt from user sylvie to user rynvie. Follow the process below to do that.

Steps to Follow >

➊ Open the Ubuntu Terminal.

➋ To view the current owner/user of the file myfile.txt, run the following command in the command prompt:

ls -l

In the image above, you can view the file with its current owner’s name.

➌ To change the ownership of the file to a specific user, execute the following command in the command prompt:

sudo chown rynvie myfile.txt

❹ Then, type the password and press the ENTER button.❺ Finally, execute the following command to check if the ownership of the myfile.txt file is changed:

ls -l

As you can see, the ownership of the file is changed.

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• How to Give Permission to User in Linux? [4 Methods]
• 2 Ways to Change Folder Permissions from Root to User in Linux
• How to Change Folder Permissions in Linux? [2 Methods]
• 2 Ways to Change Folder Permissions Recursively in Linux

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Change the Ownership of a File to a Specific Group in Linux

You can change the ownership of a file to a specific group in Ubuntu. Here I am changing ownership of myfile.txt from group sylvie to group rynvie. Follow the procedure below to do that.

Steps to Follow >

➊ Open the  Terminal in Ubuntu.

➋ To view the current group of the file myfile.txt, run the following command in the command prompt:

ls -l

In the snapshot above, you can view the file with its current group’s name.

➌ To change the ownership of the file to a specific group, execute the following command in the command prompt:

sudo chown :rynvie myfile.txt

❹ Then, type the password and press the ENTER button.❺ Finally, execute the following command to check if the group of the myfile.txt file is changed:

ls -l

As you can see, the ownership of the file is changed.

Change Both the User and Group Ownership of a File in Ubuntu

You can change both the user and group ownership of a file in Ubuntu. Here I am changing both the user and group ownership of myfile.txt from sylvie to rynvie. Follow the instructions below to do that.

Steps to Follow >

➊ Initially open the Ubuntu Terminal.

➋ To view the current owner/user and group of the file myfile.txt, run the following command in the command prompt:

ls -l

In the image above, you can view the file with its current owner and group name.

➌ To change both the user and group ownership of a file, execute the following command in the command prompt:

sudo chown rynvie:rynvie myfile.txt

❹ Then, type the password and press the ENTER button.❺ Finally, execute the following command to check if the ownership of both the user and group of the myfile.txt file are changed:

ls -l

As you can see, the ownership of the file is changed.

Conclusion

The chmod command can be used in Ubuntu to change file permissions to 777. Setting file permissions to 777 can be a security issue because it allows anyone to change or execute the file. It is best recommended to set the file permissions to the bare minimum needed to finish the task.

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