Chmod 775 Explained

Chmod 775: full access for owner and group, read and execute for others. Used for shared directories where a team needs full write access.

Permission

775

rwxrwxr-x

chmod 775 filename

Permission Breakdown

RoleRead (4)Write (2)Execute (1)OctalMeaning
Ownerrwx7read, write, execute
Grouprwx7read, write, execute
Othersr-x5read, execute

Visual Permission Grid

Read
Write
Execute
Owner
r
w
e
Group
r
w
e
Others
r
-
e

Detailed Explanation

The permission 775 grants full access to the owner and group, while allowing others to read and execute.

Octal breakdown:

  • 7 (Owner): read (4) + write (2) + execute (1) = full access
  • 7 (Group): read (4) + write (2) + execute (1) = full access
  • 5 (Others): read (4) + execute (1) = read and execute

In symbolic notation this is rwxrwxr-x. Both the file owner and group members have full control. Other users can read and execute (or traverse directories) but cannot modify contents.

This permission is commonly used for shared project directories where multiple team members (in the same group) need to create, modify, and delete files. It is the directory equivalent of 664 for files. The umask 002, which is the default on many modern Linux distributions, produces 775 for directories. This allows collaborative development while keeping the directory publicly accessible for reading.

Use Case

Shared project directories where multiple developers in the same group need write access. Common for /var/www directories on web servers managed by a team.

Try It — Interactive Calculator

Customize this permission →