How to check permissions on /home?

To check permissions on the /home directory, you use the ls (list) command with the -l (long format) flag.

Run this command in your terminal:

ls -ld /home

Breaking down the command:

• ls: The command to list files/directories.
• -l: Tells Linux to use the "long" format, which shows permissions, owner, size, and date.
• -d: This is important! It tells ls to show the permissions of the directory itself, rather than listing the contents inside it.
• /home: The path you want to check.

How to read the output:

When you run that, you will see a line similar to this: drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Jul 27 20:38 /home

Here is what that string of letters means:

1. d: It is a directory.
2. rwxr-xr-x: These are the Permissions:
   • rwx (Owner): The owner (root) can Read, Write, and eXecute (enter the folder).
   • r-x (Group): Members of the group can read and enter, but not change things.
   • r-x (Others): Everyone else can read and enter, but not change things.
3. root root: This tells you the directory is owned by the root user and the root group.

Want to check your specific user folder?

If you want to see the permissions for your own personal folder, try:

ls -ld /home/labex

You will notice the owner changes to labex, meaning you have full control over that specific "house"