Can `chown` target multiple files easily?

Yes, chown makes it very easy to target multiple files at once. There are three common ways to do this:

1. Listing Files Individually

You can simply list multiple files or directories separated by spaces after the owner information:

sudo chown root:root file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

2. Using Wildcards (Pattern Matching)

If you want to change all files that share a certain characteristic, you can use the asterisk (*) wildcard:

• All files in current directory:

  sudo chown root:root *

• All text files:

  sudo chown root:root *.txt

• All files starting with "data":

  sudo chown root:root data*

3. Using Brace Expansion

If you have specific files that don't follow a simple wildcard pattern, you can use curly braces:

sudo chown root:root {file1.txt,image.png,notes.doc}

Pro Tip: The -R Flag (Recursive)

As you saw in the lab, the -R flag is the most powerful way to target "multiple" files because it targets a directory and every single file and folder hidden inside it.

Summary Table:

Is there a specific group of files you are trying to change right now? I'm happy to help with the exact command!