chown: Change file owner and group

chown changes the user and/or group ownership of each given file. Synopsis:

chown [option]... new-owner file...

The first non-option argument, new-owner, specifies the new owner and/or group, as follows (with no embedded white space):

[owner] [ [:.] [group] ]

Specifically:

owner

If only an owner (a user name or numeric user id) is given, that user is made the owner of each given file, and the files' group is not changed.

owner`.'group

owner`:'group

If the owner is followed by a colon or dot and a group (a group name or numeric group id), with no spaces between them, the group ownership of the files is changed as well (to group).

owner`.'

owner`:'

If a colon or dot but no group name follows owner, that user is made the owner of the files and the group of the files is changed to owner's login group.

`.'group

`:'group

If the colon or dot and following group are given, but the owner is omitted, only the group of the files is changed; in this case, chown performs the same function as chgrp.

The program accepts the following options. Also see section Common options.

`-c'

`--changes'

Verbosely describe the action for each file whose ownership actually changes.

`-f'

`--silent'

`--quiet'

Do not print error messages about files whose ownership cannot be changed.

`-h'

`--no-dereference'

Act on symbolic links themselves instead of what they point to. Only available if the lchown system call is provided.

`-v'

`--verbose'

Verbosely describe the action (or non-action) taken for every file.

`-R'

`--recursive'

Recursively change ownership of directories and their contents.

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