The chsh command is a utility in Linux that is used to change the default shell for a user. A shell is a command-line interface that allows a user to interact with the operating system and execute commands.
To use the chsh command, you will need to specify the user name of the user whose default shell you want to change, and the path to the new shell executable.
For example, to change the default shell for the user john to the bash shell, you can use the following command:
# chsh -s /bin/bash john
This will change the default shell for the user john to the bash shell.
If you encounter the below error while running the command chsh:
chsh : command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:
| Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install passwd |
| Ubuntu | apt-get install passwd |
| Alpine | apk add util-linux |
| Arch Linux | pacman -S util-linux |
| Kali Linux | apt-get install passwd |
| CentOS | yum install util-linux-ng |
| Fedora | dnf install util-linux-user |
| OS X | brew install util-linux |
| Raspbian | apt-get install passwd |
chsh Command Examples
1. Change the current user’s login shell interactively:
# chsh
2. Change the login shell of the current user:
# chsh -s path/to/shell
3. Change the login shell for a given user:
# chsh -s path/to/shell username
4. List available shells:
# chsh --list-shells
Conclusion
The chsh command is useful for changing the default shell for a user, especially when you want to customize the command-line environment for a specific user. It is also useful for setting the default shell for new users, as it can be included in user creation scripts to set the default shell automatically.