chmod 777 explained (rwxrwxrwx)

chmod 777 sets the permissions to rwxrwxrwx.

• Owner: read, write, execute
• Group: read, write, execute
• Others: read, write, execute

When to use it

Almost never correct. Sometimes used temporarily while debugging a permissions problem.

Security note

Anyone on the system can read, change and run the file. Never use it on a web server, on SSH files or on anything containing secrets.

Tip: applying it to files and directories separately

Directories need the execute bit to be entered, files usually do not. Set them separately: find dir -type d -exec chmod 755 {} + and find dir -type f -exec chmod 644 {} +.

Other common modes