chmod 776
chmod 776 is rwxrwxrw-.
What 776 grants
| Who | Digit | Permissions | Adds up as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | 7 | read, write, execute | 4 + 2 + 1 = 7 |
| Group | 7 | read, write, execute | 4 + 2 + 1 = 7 |
| Others | 6 | read, write | 4 + 2 = 6 |
When 776 is the right answer
Owner and group full, others read and write but not execute. On a directory this is a strange half-measure: others can create and delete entries but cannot traverse into subdirectories.
The command
chmod 776 filename
chmod -R 776 directory/Because the owner has the execute bit, this works on a directory as well as a file — on a directory, execute is what grants the right to enter it and reach the entries inside.
How it is written elsewhere
| Octal | 776 |
| Symbolic | rwxrwxrw- |
As a file in ls -l | -rwxrwxrw- |
As a directory in ls -l | drwxrwxrw- |
| Binary | 111 111 110 |
| World-writable | Yes — any user on the system can modify this |
Frequently asked questions
What does chmod 776 mean?
It sets owner to read, write, execute, group to read, write, execute, others to read, write. In symbolic notation that is rwxrwxrw-.
How do I apply 776?
Run chmod 776 filename. Add -R to apply it to a directory and everything inside, though be careful: a recursive numeric chmod marks every file the same way, which is rarely correct for a mixed tree of files and directories.
Is 776 safe?
It is world-writable, so any account on the system can modify the contents. That is only appropriate for a shared scratch area, and even then the sticky bit should normally be set as well. For anything else, grant access through a group instead.
What is 776 in symbolic notation?
rwxrwxrw-. Written as ls -l shows it, with a leading file-type character, an ordinary file would appear as -rwxrwxrw- and a directory as drwxrwxrw-.