chmod 600 — rw-------
What chmod 600 allows, when to use it, and the calculator pre-filled with it — toggle any box to compare.
600
rw-------Owner6
rw-Group0
---Others0
---Special bits
chmod 600 filenamechmod -R 600 /path/to/dirWhat this means
Owner can read, write. Group has no permissions. Others has no permissions.
What chmod 600 allows
| Who | Read | Write | Execute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Group | — | — | — |
| Others | — | — | — |
Private files only the owner may read or change: SSH private keys (~/.ssh/id_ed25519), .env files with secrets, ~/.netrc. SSH refuses keys that are more open than this.
Commands
chmod 600 fileset it on one file or directorychmod u=rw,g=,o= filethe same thing in symbolic formchmod -R 600 dir/recursively — careful: it applies to files and directories alikels -l filecheck the result: -rw------- (a directory shows drw-------)On a directory, read lets you list it, write lets you create and delete entries, and execute lets you enter it and open what's inside. That's why directories usually get 755 or 750 while files get 644 or 640.
Frequently asked
What does chmod 600 mean?
Owner: read, write. Group: no access. Others: no access. In ls -l it shows as rw-------.
What is the symbolic form of chmod 600?
chmod u=rw,g=,o= file — it sets exactly the same permissions as chmod 600.
Common chmod permissions explained
chmod 755rwxr-xr-xchmod 644rw-r--r--chmod 777rwxrwxrwxchmod 600rw-------chmod 700rwx------chmod 775rwxrwxr-xchmod 664rw-rw-r--chmod 400r--------chmod 444r--r--r--chmod 750rwxr-x---chmod 640rw-r-----chmod 660rw-rw----chmod 770rwxrwx---chmod 666rw-rw-rw-chmod 711rwx--x--xchmod 500r-x------chmod 550r-xr-x---chmod 555r-xr-xr-xchmod 440r--r-----chmod 740rwxr-----chmod 760rwxrw----chmod 1777rwxrwxrwtchmod 2755rwxr-sr-xchmod 2775rwxrwsr-xchmod 4755rwsr-xr-x
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