Using the chown Command in Ubuntu¶

In the Ubuntu system, you can use the chown command to modify the owner and group of a file or folder. Here are the specific usage details:

1. Basic Syntax¶

chown [options] username:groupname filename/foldername

2. Common Operation Examples¶

• Change the owner of a file:

sudo chown username filename.txt

• Change the owner and group of a folder:

sudo chown username:groupname /path/to/directory

• Recursively change the owner and group of a folder and its contents:

sudo chown -R username:groupname /path/to/directory

3. Option Explanation¶

• -R: Recursive processing, used for directories, which will apply to all files and subdirectories under the directory.

• To modify the group alone, use the chgrp command: chgrp groupname filename

Note: Modifying a file’s owner usually requires administrative privileges, so sudo is generally needed. Verify the path and username/group name correctness before executing the command to avoid accidental operations.