chsh(1) General Commands Manual chsh(1)Name
chsh - change login shell
Syntax
chsh [loginname]
Description
The command is a command similar to except that it is used to change the login shell field of the password file rather than the password
entry. The program will prompt you for a new shell. The shell name supplied must match one of the entries in /etc/shells. If no name is
given the shell will be unchanged and the diagnostic "Login shell unchanged" will be printed.
An example use of this command is:
% chsh
Changing login shell for bill
Shell [/bin/csh]: sh
Restrictions
Both the new shell and the old shell must be found in /etc/shells to be able to change the shell.
If the passwd entry is distributed from another host will not modify it.
Files
/etc/shells
See Alsochfn(1), passwd(1), yppasswd(1yp), passwd(5yp)chsh(1)
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CHSH(1) User Commands CHSH(1)NAME
chsh - change login shell
SYNOPSIS
chsh [options] [LOGIN]
DESCRIPTION
The chsh command changes the user login shell. This determines the name of the user's initial login command. A normal user may only change
the login shell for her own account; the superuser may change the login shell for any account.
OPTIONS
The options which apply to the chsh command are:
-h, --help
Display help message and exit.
-s, --shell SHELL
The name of the user's new login shell. Setting this field to blank causes the system to select the default login shell.
If the -s option is not selected, chsh operates in an interactive fashion, prompting the user with the current login shell. Enter the new
value to change the shell, or leave the line blank to use the current one. The current shell is displayed between a pair of [ ] marks.
NOTE
The only restriction placed on the login shell is that the command name must be listed in /etc/shells, unless the invoker is the superuser,
and then any value may be added. An account with a restricted login shell may not change her login shell. For this reason, placing /bin/rsh
in /etc/shells is discouraged since accidentally changing to a restricted shell would prevent the user from ever changing her login shell
back to its original value.
FILES
/etc/passwd
User account information.
/etc/shells
List of valid login shells.
/etc/login.defs
Shadow password suite configuration.
SEE ALSO chfn(1), login.defs(5), passwd(5).
User Commands 06/24/2011 CHSH(1)