Changing Permissions

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Permissions are settings assigned to each file and folder that determine what type of access users can have to the file or folder. For example, you can determine whether other users can read and edit a file that belongs to you, or have access only to read it but not make changes to it.

Each file belongs to a particular user, and is associated with a group that the owner belongs to. The superuser root has the ability to access any file on the system.

You can set permissions for three categories of users:

Owner – The user that created the file or folder
Group – A group of users to which the owner belongs
Others – All other users not already included

For each category of user, different permissions can be set. These permission levels behave differently for files and folders, as follows:

Read – Files can be opened, and directory contents can be displayed.
Write – Files can be edited or deleted, and directory contents can be modified.
Execute – Executable files can be run as a program, and directories can be entered.

How to Change Permissions for a File

Select the file that you want to change.
Choose File → Properties.
The properties window for the item is displayed.
Click the Permissions tab.
To change the file's group, choose from the groups the user belongs to from the drop-down list.
For each of the owner, the group, and all other users, choose from these permissions for the file:
- None – No access to the file is possible. (You cannot set this for the owner.)
- Read-only – The user can open the file to see its contents but cannot make any changes.
- Read and write – Grants normal access to the file: it can be opened, changed, and saved.
To allow a file to be run as a program, select Execute.

How to Change Permissions for a Folder

Select the folder that you want to change.
Choose File → Properties.
The properties window for the item is displayed.
Click the Permissions tab.
To change the folder's group, choose from the groups the user belongs to from the drop-down selector.
For each of the owner, the group, and all other users, choose from these folder access permissions:
- None – No access to the folder is possible. (You cannot set this for the owner.)
- List files only – The user can see the items in the folder but cannot open any of them.
- Access files – Items in the folder can be opened and modified, provided their own permissions allow these actions.
- Create and delete files – The user can create new files and delete files in the folder, in addition to being able to access existing files.
Note - To set permissions for all the items contained in a folder, set the File Access and Execute properties and click Apply Permissions to Enclosed Files.