TestOut Linux Pro Practice Test 2025 - Free Linux Pro Practice Questions and Study Guide

The command used to change the owner of a file or directory is chown. This command stands for "change owner" and allows you to specify a new owner for a file or directory, along with optionally changing the group associated with that file. The syntax typically involves specifying the new owner’s username followed by the filename or directory name you want to modify.

For example, using `chown newowner filename` would change the ownership of the file "filename" to the user "newowner." Understanding how to use this command is essential for managing permissions and ensuring that the correct users have access to files and directories, which is a central aspect of file system security in Linux.

Other options, such as mv and chmod, serve different purposes. The mv command is mainly used for moving or renaming files and directories, while chmod is used to change the permissions on a file or directory rather than its ownership. The term setowner is not a standard command in Linux, hence it would not be recognized for the purpose of changing ownership. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify the functionality of each command within the Linux environment.