how to make a file executable in linux
Jul 19, 2025 am 12:04 AMIn Linux systems, the core way to make files executable is to modify permissions and ensure that the script is structured correctly. 1. Use chmod x filename or chmod 755 filename to add execution permissions; 2. If there is no write permission, you can use sudo chmod x filename to elevate permissions; 3. Use ls -l to check whether the file already has execution permissions; 4. Make sure the first line of the script contains the correct shebang, such as #!/bin/bash or #!/usr/bin/env python3; 5. Use file filename to verify whether the file type is an executable script. If it still fails to run, you need to check whether the file format is correct or whether the file system is prohibited from executing.
In Linux systems, making a file executable is actually very simple, and the core operation is to modify its permissions. As long as the "executable" permission is added, the system will run it as a program.

Use the chmod command to add execution permissions
This is the most common and direct way. Use chmod x filename
to add execution permissions to the file.
For example, you have a script called myscript.sh
, you can do it like this:

chmod x myscript.sh
Then you can run it in the following way:
./myscript.sh
It should be noted that this method is only applicable to files that you have write permissions. If you do not have permission, you may need to use sudo
to increase the permission:

sudo chmod x myscript.sh
In addition, in addition to x
, permissions can also be set digitally, such as chmod 755 myscript.sh
, indicating that the owner can read, write and execute, and other users can read and execute.
Check if the file already has execution permissions
Before or after setting, you can use ls -l
to view file permissions:
ls -l myscript.sh
The output looks like this:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 user group 123 Apr 5 10:00 myscript.sh
where -rwxr-xr-x
represents permission. If you see x
, it means that you have execution permissions.
If not, then use the chmod
method above to add permissions.
Sometimes, even if execution permission is added, it can still not run, which may be the following reasons:
- The file itself is not an executable format (such as a text script but not written correctly)
- Execution is prohibited when the file system is mounted (such as some encryption or temporary directories)
Make sure the script has the correct shebang at the beginning
If you are running a script (such as a Shell script, Python script), it must have the correct shebang line, that is, the first line must indicate the interpreter path.
For example, a shell script should be:
#!/bin/bash
Python scripts can be:
#!/usr/bin/env python3
The purpose of this line is to tell the system which program to use to run the script. If this line is missing, it may not run even if execution permission is set.
In addition, you can use the file
command to check the file type:
file myscript.sh
Normally, it will show that it is "executable shell script". If not, then you have to check the content format.
Basically that's it. Making the executable file mainly depends on the combination of permission settings and script structure, which is not complicated but is easy to ignore details.
The above is the detailed content of how to make a file executable in linux. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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