Convert Linux file permissions between numeric (755) and symbolic (rwxr-xr-x) and get the chmod command.
Linux and macOS file permissions control who can read, write and execute a file. Tick the boxes or type a value like 755 or rwxr-xr-x to convert between numeric and symbolic notation and get the exact chmod command — including setuid, setgid and the sticky bit.
Tick read, write and execute for owner, group and others, or type a numeric or symbolic value.
See the octal number, the rwx string and a plain-English explanation.
Use chmod with the number or the symbolic form; add -R for a whole folder.
Numeric ↔ symbolic in both directions
Special bits: setuid, setgid, sticky
Warns about world-writable permissions
Reference pages for every common mode
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| Number | Symbolic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | rwx | read, write, execute |
| 6 | rw- | read, write |
| 5 | r-x | read, execute |
| 4 | r-- | read only |
| 0 | --- | no access |
755 — find /var/www/site -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;644 — find /var/www/site -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;600600; ~/.ssh folder: 700Owner can read, write and execute (7 = 4+2+1); group and others can read and execute (5 = 4+1). It is the usual permission for scripts, programs and web folders.
Owner can read and write (6); group and others can only read (4). It is the usual permission for normal files such as HTML, images and config files that the web server only needs to read.
Rarely. 777 lets every user on the system modify and execute the file. On web servers it is a common security mistake — fix ownership with chown instead, and use 755 for folders and 644 for files.
Read = 4, write = 2, execute = 1. Add them for each of owner, group and others: rwx = 7, rw- = 6, r-x = 5, r-- = 4.
An optional fourth leading digit: 4 = setuid (run as the file’s owner), 2 = setgid (run as the group; in folders new files inherit the group), 1 = sticky (in a shared folder like /tmp, only a file’s owner can delete it). Example: 1777, 2755, 4755.