Quick Tip

Instant File Ownership & Permissions with `stat`

Challenge: You need to quickly see the owner, group, and permissions of a file or directory without navigating through lengthy `ls -l` outputs or remembering complex `find` command arguments.

The Solution: Use the `stat` command with specific format specifiers for a concise overview.

stat -c "%U %G %A %n" filename_or_directory

Why it works: The `-c` option with format specifiers like `%U` (user owner), `%G` (group owner), `%A` (access rights in human readable form), and `%n` (file name) allows `stat` to output precisely the information you need in a structured way.

Pro-Tip: For a more human-readable, albeit slightly less concise, output, simply run stat filename_or_directory without any format specifiers.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 4/29/2026