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What does chmod 750 mean? Owner control with group access explained

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

chmod 750 sets the mode to rwxr-x---: full access for the owner, read and execute for the group, and no access for everyone else.

In ls -l, a folder with this mode shows as drwxr-x---. It suits a project folder or a script that one team uses, where the rest of the system has no reason to see it. It's the step you reach for when a folder locked to its owner at 700 needs to open up to one group, and nothing more.

Octal
750
chmod 750
Symbolic
rwxr-x---
Owner / Group / Others
Category
Group Access
Shared with one group
chmod 750 set on the configurator, pre-loaded. Flip individual permission bits or try a sibling mode.
Edit in the full tool

How this is calculated

The three digits set the owner, group and others in that order. The owner's 7 is 4+2+1, which means read, write and execute. The group's 5 is 4+1, read and execute with no write. Others get 0, which means no bits at all.

On a folder, read lets the group list file names, and execute lets it enter the folder and reach files by name. Neither bit lets a group member add, rename or delete anything, because those changes need write on the folder itself. Others get none of this, so they can't even see what's inside.

Next to its neighbors, 750 is the middle step. Mode 700 gives rwx------ and shuts the group out completely. Mode 755 gives rwxr-xr-x and lets everyone read and enter. Mode 750 sits in the middle: the group gets in, and the public doesn't.

Verdict

Use 750 for a folder or script that one group should work with and nobody else should see. Skip it when a web server user or another account outside the group has to read the files, since those accounts get nothing at all. If the group also needs to write, 775 is the mode to look at, because 750 gives the group no write access.

More CHMOD scenarios

chmod 755
chmod 755 sets permissions to rwxr-xr-x: the owner can read, write, and execute, while the group and everyone else can read and execute but not modify.
View details
chmod 644
chmod 644 sets permissions to rw-r--r--: the owner can read and write, and the group and everyone else can only read.
View details
chmod 777
chmod 777 sets permissions to rwxrwxrwx: every user on the system can read, write, and execute the file or directory.
View details

Related guides

chmod 775: shared group folders
The group-write version of this mode, for folders where members also need to edit.
View guide
chmod 755: directory permissions
Lets everyone read and enter the folder, where 750 keeps others out.
View guide
chmod 700: private folders
Shuts the group out too, for folders only the owner should open.
View guide
chmod 640: config file permissions
Group read for a config file a service reads, with others shut out.
View guide

Frequently asked questions

What does chmod 750 mean?
The owner can read, write and enter or run. The group can read and enter or run, but can't change anything. Others get nothing. In ls -l, a folder shows as drwxr-x---, and a script shows as -rwxr-x---.
What's the difference between chmod 750 and 755?
755 is rwxr-xr-x, so others can read and enter or run. 750 is rwxr-x---, which gives others nothing. The owner and the group get the same access under both modes.
Can a group member delete files in a 750 folder?
No. Deleting or renaming a file needs write permission on the folder, and 750 gives the group read and enter but no write.
Who can run a script with chmod 750?
The owner and members of the file's group can run it. Others can't, since they get no access to the file at all. The group gets read as well as execute, and a shell script needs read too, because the shell reads the file before it runs. So chmod 750 backup.sh works for the whole group, as long as the group can reach the folder it's in.

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