How to Check If a File Has an ACL

Check if a file has an ACL by using the ls command.

% ls -l filename

filename specifies the file or directory.

In the output, a plus sign (+) to the right of the mode field indicates that the file has an ACL.

Unless you have added ACL entries for additional users or groups on a file, a file is considered to be a “trivial” ACL and the plus sign (+) will not display.

Example—Checking If a File Has an ACL

The following example shows that the ch1.doc file has an ACL, because the listing has a plus sign (+) to the right of the mode field.

% ls -l ch1.doc
-rwxr-----+  1 nathan   sysadmin      167 Nov 11 11:13 ch1.doc