Modifying accounts
Modifying user accounts in a Linux system often requires the use of various commands and utilities.
1. Changing User Password:
-
To change a user's password, use the
passwd
command followed by the username:sudo passwd username
-
Replace
username
with the name of the user whose password you want to change. You'll be prompted to enter and confirm the new password.
2. Modifying User Account Details:
-
To modify user account details such as the full name or contact information, you can use the
usermod
command with appropriate options. For example, to change a user's full name:sudo usermod -c "New Full Name" username
Replace
"New Full Name"
with the updated full name andusername
with the user's name.
3. Changing User Shell:
-
To change a user's default shell, use the
chsh
command:sudo chsh -s /path/to/newshell username
Replace
/path/to/newshell
with the path to the desired shell (e.g.,/bin/bash
,/bin/zsh
) andusername
with the user's name.
4. Adding Users to Groups:
-
To add a user to one or more groups, you can use the
usermod
command with the-aG
option:sudo usermod -aG group1,group2 username
Replace
group1
andgroup2
with the names of the groups you want to add the user to, separated by commas.
5. Modifying Home Directory:
-
To change a user's home directory, it's recommended to create a new user account with the desired settings, including the home directory path. However, if you need to move an existing user's home directory, use the
usermod
command with the-m
option:sudo usermod -m -d /new/home/directory username
Replace
/new/home/directory
with the new path to the home directory andusername
with the user's name.
6. Locking and Unlocking User Accounts:
-
You can lock a user account to prevent login using the
passwd
command:sudo passwd -l username
-
To unlock a locked account, use the
-u
option:sudo passwd -u username
7. Expire or Disable User Accounts:
-
To expire or disable a user account, use the
chage
command:-
To set an expiration date for an account:
sudo chage -E YYYY-MM-DD username
-
To disable an account (no login allowed):
sudo chage -E -1 username
-
8. Delete User Accounts:
-
To delete a user account and remove their home directory, use the
userdel
command:sudo userdel -r username
-
The
-r
option ensures that the user's home directory and mail spool (if present) are also removed.