Can hidden files have permissions?

Yes, hidden files have the exact same permission system as regular files.

In Linux, the "hidden" status is just a naming convention (starting with a dot). It doesn't change how the operating system handles security or access.

How to check hidden file permissions:

You can see the permissions by using the ls -la command. For example:

ls -la

In the output, you will see something like this:

-rw-r--r-- 1 labex labex 877 Dec 22 08:23 .bashrc

The -rw-r--r-- part represents the permissions for that hidden file:

• rw-: The owner (labex) can read and write.
• r--: The group can only read.
• r--: Others can only read.

You can also change them:

You can use the chmod command to modify permissions of a hidden file just like any other file:

# Make a hidden file read-only for everyone
chmod 444 .secret_note.txt

Key takeaway:

Being "hidden" only hides the file from a standard ls view to keep your directory clean. It does not provide any extra security or change how permissions work. If a user has permission to read a hidden file, they can read it as long as they know (or find) the filename!