chmod 532 Permission Explained

Notice: This is an unusual permission set: some classes have more access than the class above them. It is rarely correct in practice.
Octal
532
Symbolic
r-x-wx-w-
Binary
101 011 010
Risk Level
Critical Risk

Summary: chmod 532 gives the owner read/execute, the group write/execute, and everyone else write.

Class Read (4) Write (2) Execute (1) Octal
Owner (u) 5
Group (g) 3
Others (o) 2
532
r-x-wx-w-
Owner: read/execute · Group: write/execute · Others: write
chmod 532 filename
Critical Risk Anyone on the system can modify or replace this file.
View the full chmod 532 guide →
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chmod 532 Breakdown

Class Digit Symbolic On a file On a directory
Owner (u) 5 r-x Read and execute Can list and enter
Group (g) 3 -wx Write and execute Can enter and create/delete files, but not list
Others (o) 2 -w- Write only (rarely useful) No practical effect without x

Is chmod 532 Safe?

Critical Risk

Common Use Cases

532 is uncommon in standard Linux setups. The closest widely used permission is chmod 500.

chmod 532 Command Examples

# Apply using octal mode
chmod 532 filename

# Apply using equivalent symbolic mode
chmod u=rx,g=wx,o=w filename

# Recursive command warning:
chmod -R 532 /path/to/dir
# Note: -R applies the same mode to files and directories. Use find to treat them separately:
find /path/to/dir -type d -exec chmod 532 {} +

# Verify permissions
stat -c '%a %A %n' filename    # Linux
stat -f '%Lp %Sp %N' filename   # macOS

# Example ls -l output:
-r-x-wx-w- 1 alice staff 1024 Jan 15 10:00 example.txt

umask Relationship

A umask of 245 makes new directories 532. Test umask values with our interactive Umask Calculator.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does chmod 532 mean?

chmod 532 gives the owner read/execute, the group write/execute, and everyone else write. In octal notation, the owner receives 5 (read/execute), the group receives 3 (write/execute), and others receive 2 (write).

Is chmod 532 safe?

chmod 532 is classified as Critical Risk. Anyone on the system can modify or replace this file.

What is chmod 532 in symbolic notation?

In symbolic notation, chmod 532 is represented as r-x-wx-w-. You can apply this permission using the equivalent symbolic command "chmod u=rx,g=wx,o=w filename".

Related Permissions

Change one bit:

← chmod 531 chmod 533 →

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