chmod 740 — rwxr-----

What chmod 740 allows, when to use it, and the calculator pre-filled with it — toggle any box to compare.

740
rwxr-----
Owner7
rwx
Group4
r--
Others0
---
Special bits
chmod 740 filename
chmod -R 740 /path/to/dir

What this means

Owner can read, write, execute. Group can read. Others has no permissions.

What chmod 740 allows

WhoReadWriteExecute
Owner✓✓✓
Group✓——
Others———

The owner has full access and the group can read; others nothing. Scripts the group may inspect but not run or change.

Commands

chmod 740 fileset it on one file or directory
chmod u=rwx,g=r,o= filethe same thing in symbolic form
chmod -R 740 dir/recursively — careful: it applies to files and directories alike
ls -l filecheck the result: -rwxr----- (a directory shows drwxr-----)

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 740 mean?

Owner: read, write, execute. Group: read. Others: no access. In ls -l it shows as rwxr-----.

What is the symbolic form of chmod 740?

chmod u=rwx,g=r,o= file — it sets exactly the same permissions as chmod 740.

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Common chmod permissions explained

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