755
Octal
rwxr-xr-x
Symbolic
Safe
Security
What does chmod 755 mean?
chmod 755 gives owner full, everyone read/execute. The standard permission for directories and executable scripts: the owner can change them, everyone else can list or run them. Use 755 for website directories, cgi-bin scripts and binaries in /usr/local/bin.
| Who | Digit | Symbolic | Permissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner (user) | 7 | rwx | read, write, execute |
| Group | 5 | r-x | read, execute |
| Others | 5 | r-x | read, execute |
Each digit is the sum of read (4), write (2) and execute (1). In ls -l the file shows as -rwxr-xr-x and a directory as drwxr-xr-x.
How to use chmod 755
# one file or directory
chmod 755 filename
# the same permissions in symbolic form
chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=rx filename
# a directory and everything inside it
chmod -R 755 directory/
# only directories (keep files separate)
find path/ -type d -exec chmod 755 {} +On web servers the usual combination is 755 for directories and 644 for files. Avoid chmod -R 755 on everything — it makes every file executable. Use the two find commands instead.
Need a different combination? Tick the boxes in the chmod calculator to get the octal and symbolic values instantly.
Chmod calculatorToggle read, write and execute for owner, group and others to build any permission.
Open the calculator Frequently asked questions
What does chmod 755 do?
It sets the permissions to rwxr-xr-x: the owner gets read, write, execute, the group read, execute and others read, execute.
What is 755 in symbolic notation?
rwxr-xr-x, or chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=rx as a symbolic chmod command.Is chmod 755 safe?
Yes, 755 does not give write access to other users.