USERMOD

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NAME

usermod - Modify a user account  

SYNOPSIS

usermod [ -c comment ] [ -d home_dir [ -m ] ] [ -e expire_date ] [ -f inactive_time ] [ -g initial_group ] [ -G group[,...] ] [ -l login_name ] [ -s shell ] [ -u uid [ -o ] login  

DESCRIPTION

The usermod command modifies the system account files to reflect the changes that are specified on the command line. The options which apply to the usermod command are
-c comment
The new value of the user's password file comment field. It is normally modified using the chfn(1) utility.
-d home_dir
The user's new login directory. If the -m option is given the contents of the current home directory will be moved to the new home directory, which is created if it does not already exist.
-e expire_date
The date on which the user account will be disabled. The date is specified in the format MM/DD/YY.
-f inactive_days
The number of days after a password expires until the account is permanently disabled. A value of 0 disables the account as soon as the password has expired, and a value of -1 disables the feature. The default value is -1.
-g initial_group
The group name or number of the user's new initial login group. The group name must exist. A group number must refer to an already existing group. The default group number is 1.
-G group,[...]
A list of supplementary groups which the user is also a member of. Each group is separated from the next by a comma, with no intervening whitespace. The groups are subject to the same restrictions as the group given with the -g option. If the user is currently a member of a group which is not listed, the user will be removed from the group
-l login_name
The name of the user will be changed from login to login_name. Nothing else is changed. In particular, the user's home directory name should probably be changed to reflect the new login name.
-s shell
The name of the user's new login shell. Setting this field to blank causes the system to select the default login shell.
-u uid
The numerical value of the user's ID. This value must be unique, unless the -o option is used. The value must be non-negative. Values between 0 and 99 are typically reserved for system accounts. Any files which the user owned must have the file user ID changed manually.
 

Files

/etc/passwd - user account information
/etc/shadow - secure user account information
/etc/group - group information  

SEE ALSO

chfn(1), chsh(1), groupadd(1M), groupdel(1M), groupmod(1M), passwd(1), useradd(1M), userdel(1M)


 

Index

NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
Files
SEE ALSO

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Time: 06:36:54 GMT, May 19, 2025