What is umask and how is it determined on a Linux system?

Updated -

umask sets the mask applied to newly created file and directory permissions. For directories, the base permissions are (rwxrwxrwx) and for files they are 666 (rw-rw-rw).

Before creating the file or directory, the base permissions are compared to a mask (the umask set by the umask command or default mask as applicable) that will "mask out" permission bits to determine the final permissio...

Subscriber exclusive content

A Red Hat subscription provides unlimited access to our knowledgebase of over 48,000 articles and solutions.

Current Customers and Partners

Log in for full access

Log In
Close

Welcome! Check out the Getting Started with Red Hat page for quick tours and guides for common tasks.