groupmod

Additional Notes

groupmod changes properties of an existing local group, usually its name or numeric GID.

Changing a GID can affect file ownership display and access decisions, so check existing files and users first.

Syntax

groupmod [options] group

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how groupmod behaves.
• user: User account affected by the command.
• group: Group account affected by the command.
• file: File or directory whose ownership, mode, or access policy is being changed.

Common Options

• -n NEWNAME: Rename the group.
• -g GID: Change numeric group ID.
• -o: Allow a non-unique GID when used with -g.

Examples

sudo groupmod -n engineers developers

Rename developers to engineers.

sudo groupmod -g 2001 lab

Change the group's GID.

getent group engineers

Check the changed group.

Practical Notes

• Rename changes the group database entry, not necessarily documentation or scripts.
• Be careful changing GIDs on systems with shared files.
• Use find / -gid OLDGID if you need to find files with an old group ID.