File Permission Viewer
Parse a Unix-style permission string (like from ls -l output) and explain the file type and read/write/execute permissions in plain English, plus the octal equivalent.
File Type
Regular file (-)
| Read | Write | Execute | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Other | ✓ | — | ✓ |
Numeric (Octal) Equivalent
755
Owner: read, write, execute · Group: read, execute · Other: read, execute
How to Use the File Permission Viewer
Paste a Unix-style permission string exactly as it appears in ls -l output — either the short form like -rwxr-xr-x, or a full line like -rwxr-xr-x 2 user group 4096 Jan 1 12:00 filename. The tool parses the leading file-type character (a regular file, directory, symbolic link, or one of the less common types like a character device, block device, named pipe, or socket) and then breaks down the three permission triplets — Owner, Group, and Other — into plain-English read/write/execute permissions, plus the equivalent numeric (octal) value.
Example
Pasting -rwxr-xr-x shows a Regular file with Owner permissions of read, write, and execute; Group and Other both with read and execute only; and a numeric equivalent of 755.
Common Use Cases
- Understanding a permission string you copied from a server's
ls -loutput. - Converting a real-world permission string into its numeric (chmod-style) equivalent.
- Learning what the leading file-type character in
ls -loutput actually means.
FAQs
- How is this different from the CHMOD Generator? Our CHMOD Generator converts between numeric, symbolic, and checkbox representations for SETTING permissions you want to apply to a file. This File Permission Viewer does the reverse — it PARSES AND EXPLAINS a permission string you already encountered (for example, copied from real
ls -loutput), including the leading file-type character, which the CHMOD Generator doesn't cover at all. - What does the leading character before the permissions mean? It identifies the file type:
-for a regular file,dfor a directory,lfor a symbolic link, and less common types likec(character device),b(block device),p(named pipe), ands(socket). - What do lowercase or uppercase "s" and "t" in the execute position mean? Those represent special permission bits layered on top of execute: a lowercase
sortmeans the special bit (setuid, setgid, or sticky) is set AND the execute bit is also set, while an uppercaseSorTmeans the special bit is set but execute is NOT set for that category.