chgrp Command in Linux: Syntax, Options & Change Group Ownership Examples

chgrp changes the group owner of files and directories without touching the user owner. Use it for shared project trees, web roots, and fixing group mismatches after restores.

Published Sep 6, 2021

Updated Jul 1, 2026

Author Rohan Timalsina

Read time 8 min read

Reviewed Jul 1, 2026 byDeepak Prasad

About	chgrp changes the group owner of files and directories without touching the user owner. Use it for shared project trees, web roots, and fixing group mismatches after restores.
Tested on	Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin); chgrp (uutils coreutils) 0.2.2; kernel 7.0.0-27-generic
Package	uutils-coreutils (apt/deb) · coreutils (dnf/rpm)
Man page	chgrp(1)
Privilege	root / sudo when you do not own the file
Distros	All Linux distros with chgrp (GNU coreutils on most; Ubuntu 25.04 tested build is uutils coreutils). Change user and group together: chown.
Related guide	Add user to group in Linux

chgrp — quick reference

Basic ownership

Set the group on one or more paths. You need write permission on the file's parent directory (or sudo for files you do not own).

When to use	Command
Change group on one file	`chgrp GROUP file`
Change group on several files at once	`chgrp GROUP file1 file2 file3`
Change group on a directory entry only (not contents)	`chgrp GROUP directory`
Use numeric GID instead of group name	`chgrp 1001 file`
Copy group from another file	`chgrp --reference=refile target`

Recursive and conditional

Walk directory trees or change only when the current group matches.

When to use	Command
Change group on a directory and everything below it	`chgrp -R GROUP directory`
Change only if the current group matches OLD	`chgrp --from=OLD GROUP file`
Refuse to recurse on `/` (safety)	`chgrp -R --preserve-root GROUP /path`

Symbolic links

By default chgrp changes the target file. Use -h to change the symlink inode itself.

When to use	Command
Change group of the file a symlink points to (default)	`chgrp GROUP symlink`
Change group of the symlink itself	`chgrp -h GROUP symlink` `chgrp --no-dereference GROUP symlink`

Output control

When to use	Command
Print a line for every file processed	`chgrp -v GROUP file`
Print only when the group actually changes	`chgrp -c GROUP file`
Suppress most errors (e.g. missing paths in a batch)	`chgrp -f GROUP file`

Help and version

When to use	Command
Show built-in usage	`chgrp --help`
Show implementation version	`chgrp -V` `chgrp --version`

chgrp — command syntax

Synopsis from chgrp --help on Ubuntu 25.04 (chgrp uutils coreutils 0.2.2):

text
chgrp [OPTION]... GROUP FILE...
chgrp [OPTION]... --reference=RFILE FILE...

Options:
  -c, --changes            like verbose but report only when a change is made
  -f, --silent / --quiet   suppress most error messages
  -v, --verbose            output a diagnostic for every file processed
      --preserve-root      fail to operate recursively on '/'
      --no-preserve-root   do not treat '/' specially (the default)
      --reference <RFILE>  use RFILE's group rather than specifying GROUP
      --from <GROUP>       change the group only if its current group matches GROUP
  -R, --recursive          operate on files and directories recursively
  -h, --no-dereference     affect symbolic links instead of referenced file
      --dereference        affect referent of symlink (default)
  -H -L -P                 traverse symlinks to directories (see man page)

chgrp updates the group field in the inode. Permission bits from chmod are unchanged; only the group owner changes.

chgrp — command examples

Essential Change group on one file and verify

Use this when a shared file landed with the wrong group after a copy or unpack.

Run the command:

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
echo 'shared data' > /tmp/chgrp-file.txt
sudo chgrp cschgrp_demo /tmp/chgrp-file.txt
ls -l /tmp/chgrp-file.txt

Sample output:

output

-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo 12 ... /tmp/chgrp-file.txt

The group column should show cschgrp_demo. The user owner (here root) stays the same.

Clean up:

bash

rm -f /tmp/chgrp-file.txt
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

Essential Apply one group to several files

Listing multiple paths in one invocation avoids repeated command lines in scripts.

Run the command:

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
echo a > /tmp/f1.txt; echo b > /tmp/f2.txt
sudo chgrp cschgrp_demo /tmp/f1.txt /tmp/f2.txt
ls -l /tmp/f1.txt /tmp/f2.txt

Sample output:

output

-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo 2 ... /tmp/f1.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo 2 ... /tmp/f2.txt

bash

rm -f /tmp/f1.txt /tmp/f2.txt
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

Essential Recursive group change on a directory tree

-R updates the directory itself and every file and subdirectory under it — typical for /var/www or project checkouts.

Run the command:

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
mkdir -p /tmp/chgrp-tree/sub
echo nested > /tmp/chgrp-tree/sub/inner.txt
sudo chgrp -R cschgrp_demo /tmp/chgrp-tree
ls -l /tmp/chgrp-tree /tmp/chgrp-tree/sub/inner.txt

Sample output:

output

drwxr-xr-x 3 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/chgrp-tree
-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/chgrp-tree/sub/inner.txt

Without -R, only the directory inode changes — files inside keep their old group.

bash

rm -rf /tmp/chgrp-tree
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

Common Copy group from a template file (--reference)

Handy when a golden config file already has the right group and you want matching ownership on a new file.

Run the command:

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
echo template > /tmp/template.txt
echo app config > /tmp/app.conf
sudo chgrp cschgrp_demo /tmp/template.txt
sudo chgrp --reference=/tmp/template.txt /tmp/app.conf
ls -l /tmp/template.txt /tmp/app.conf

Sample output:

output

-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/app.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/template.txt

bash

rm -f /tmp/template.txt /tmp/app.conf
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

Common Set group by numeric GID

Scripts sometimes only know the GID from LDAP or NFS — chgrp 1005 file works when the name is not in /etc/group on this host.

Run the command:

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
GID=$(getent group cschgrp_demo | cut -d: -f3)
echo data > /tmp/gid.txt
sudo chgrp "$GID" /tmp/gid.txt
ls -l /tmp/gid.txt

Sample output:

output

-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/gid.txt

Prefer group names in hand-run commands for readability.

bash

rm -f /tmp/gid.txt
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

Common Symlink: target (default) vs link (-h)

Default behavior changes the referent. -h changes the symlink's own group — rare, but needed on systems that support symlink ownership.

Run the command:

The lab below creates a symlink with ln -sf before testing ownership; see the create symbolic link on Linux for link versus target behavior.

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
echo target > /tmp/target.txt
ln -s /tmp/target.txt /tmp/link.txt
sudo chgrp cschgrp_demo /tmp/link.txt
ls -l /tmp/target.txt /tmp/link.txt
sudo chgrp -h cschgrp_demo /tmp/link.txt
ls -l /tmp/link.txt

Sample output:

output

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/link.txt -> /tmp/target.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/target.txt

bash

rm -f /tmp/link.txt /tmp/target.txt
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

Advanced Verbose (-v) and changes-only (-c) output

Use -v for audits and -c in cron jobs when you only want lines for files that actually changed.

Run the command:

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
echo x > /tmp/v.txt
sudo chgrp -v cschgrp_demo /tmp/v.txt
sudo chgrp -c cschgrp_demo /tmp/v.txt

Sample output:

output

changed group of '/tmp/v.txt' from root to cschgrp_demo

A second run with -c may print nothing because the group already matches.

bash

rm -f /tmp/v.txt
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

Advanced Change group only when --from matches

--from=OLD skips files that are not in group OLD — useful when fixing a batch without clobbering intentional groups.

Run the command:

bash
sudo groupadd cschgrp_demo
echo x > /tmp/from.txt
sudo chgrp --from=root cschgrp_demo /tmp/from.txt
ls -l /tmp/from.txt

Sample output:

output

-rw-r--r-- 1 root cschgrp_demo ... /tmp/from.txt

If the file were already cschgrp_demo, uutils exits 0 with no message and leaves the group unchanged — unlike GNU chgrp, there is no error when --from does not match.

bash

rm -f /tmp/from.txt
sudo groupdel cschgrp_demo

chgrp — when to use / when not

Use chgrp when	Use something else when
You only need to change the group owner A shared directory should match the project group You want to copy group from a reference file	You must change the user owner too → chown You need read/write/execute bits → chmod You need supplementary group membership for a user → usermod -aG

chgrp vs chown

	chgrp	chown
Changes	Group only	User and/or group
Typical syntax	`chgrp group file`	`chown user:group file`
When	Shared trees, web content	Full ownership transfer

chown user:group file can set both in one step; use chgrp when the user owner is already correct.

Permission and ownership workflow on Linux.

Command	One line
chgrp	Change group owner (this page)

Browse the full index in our Linux commands reference.

chgrp — interview corner

What does chgrp do?

chgrp changes the group owner of files and directories. The user owner and permission bits stay the same. Every file has a user, a group, and mode bits — chgrp only edits the group field in the inode.

You need permission on the file (or sudo) and the target group must exist (or be a valid GID).

A strong answer is:

"chgrp sets the group owner without touching the user owner — I use it for shared project dirs and fixing group after tar extracts."

What is the difference between chgrp and chown?

chgrp changes only the group. chown can change the user, the group, or both (chown user:group file).

Pick chgrp when the user is correct and only the group is wrong.

A strong answer is:

"chgrp is group-only; chown handles user and group. I use chgrp when I must not alter the user owner."

What does chgrp -R do?

-R / --recursive walks a directory tree and applies the new group to every file and subdirectory under the path, including the directory itself.

Without -R, only the single directory entry changes — contents keep their old group. Use --preserve-root if you want recursion to fail when the path is /.

A strong answer is:

"-R applies the group to the whole tree. I verify path twice before recursive chgrp on production data."

Does chgrp follow symbolic links?

By default, chgrp changes the target file the symlink points to. -h / --no-dereference changes the symlink inode itself (where the OS supports it).

That matches the default for most file operations — dereference unless you opt out.

A strong answer is:

"Default is dereference — group change hits the target. -h changes the symlink itself when needed."

When do you need sudo for chgrp?

When you are not the file owner and lack CAP_FOWNER, or when assigning a group you cannot chgrp to as a normal user. On shared admin paths (/etc, /var/www) sudo is routine.

As owner you can usually chgrp to a group you belong to.

A strong answer is:

"sudo when I don't own the file or I'm setting a group the current user can't assign — typical on system and web roots."

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
`invalid group`	Group name not in `/etc/group`	`sudo groupadd name` or use numeric GID
`Operation not permitted`	Not owner and not root	`sudo chgrp ...`
`cannot access 'file': No such file`	Wrong path	Check path; use `-f` to batch past missing files
Directory fixed, files inside not	Forgot `-R`	`chgrp -R GROUP dir`
Symlink changed wrong inode	Default dereference	Use `-h` to affect the link
`--from` appears to do nothing	Current group does not match (uutils exits 0)	Check `stat -c %G file`; match `--from` to current group
`-f` still exits 1 on missing file	uutils suppresses stderr only	Ignore exit in scripts or test path first
Behavior differs on Ubuntu 25.04	uutils coreutils vs GNU	Compare `chgrp --version`; syntax matches this page for uutils 0.2.2

Rohan Timalsina

is a technical writer and Linux enthusiast who writes practical guides on Linux commands and system administration. He focuses on simplifying complex topics through clear explanations.

chgrp — quick reference

Basic ownership

Recursive and conditional

Symbolic links

Output control

Help and version

chgrp — command syntax

chgrp — command examples

chgrp — when to use / when not

chgrp vs chown

Related commands

chgrp — interview corner

Troubleshooting

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