How to change file access time?

To change the access time of a file in a Unix-like operating system, you can use the touch command with specific options. Here’s how to do it:

Using touch to Change Access Time

1. Basic Command:

   touch file1.txt

   This command updates the access time (and modification time) of file1.txt to the current time.

2. Set a Specific Time:
   If you want to set a specific access time, you can use the -a option along with the -t option:

   touch -a -t YYYYMMDDhhmm file1.txt

   Replace YYYYMMDDhhmm with the desired date and time. For example, to set the access time to January 1, 2023, at 12:00 PM, you would use:

   touch -a -t 202301011200 file1.txt

3. Using -d Option:
   Alternatively, you can use the -d option to specify a date string:

   touch -a -d "2023-01-01 12:00" file1.txt

Summary of Options:

• -a: Change only the access time.
• -t: Specify the time in YYYYMMDDhhmm format.
• -d: Specify a date string for the access time.

Example:

To change the access time of file1.txt to January 1, 2023, at 12:00 PM:

touch -a -d "2023-01-01 12:00" file1.txt

If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask!