Ubuntu/Apt

Users Commands

Create and manage users, groups, and permissions on Ubuntu. Handle user accounts, sudo access, password policies, and group memberships for system security.

12 commands

Pro Tips

Use 'adduser username' instead of 'useradd' on Ubuntu — it's interactive and sets up home directory, shell, etc.

Add sudo access: 'usermod -aG sudo username' — the user needs to log out and back in.

Use 'passwd -e username' to force a password change on next login.

Common Mistakes

'usermod -G' without '-a' replaces ALL groups. Always use '-aG' to append to existing groups.

Deleting a user with 'userdel -r' removes their home directory permanently. Back up data first.

Commands

Add user

$ sudo adduser <username>

Create a new user with home directory and prompts.

Delete user

$ sudo deluser --remove-home <username>

Delete a user and remove their home directory.

Add user to group

$ sudo usermod -aG <group> <user>

Add user to a supplementary group without removing other groups.

Change password

$ sudo passwd <username>

Change user password.

Show user groups

$ groups <username>

List groups user belongs to.

Edit sudoers file

$ sudo visudo

Safely edit the sudoers file with syntax checking.

Switch to another user

$ su - <username>

Switch to another user with their full login environment.

Lock user account

$ sudo usermod -L <username>

Lock a user account to prevent login.

Unlock user account

$ sudo usermod -U <username>

Unlock a previously locked user account.

Change user login shell

$ sudo usermod -s /bin/zsh <username>

Change the default login shell for a user.

List all system users

$ cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd | sort

List all user accounts defined on the system.

Show current user info

$ id

Display UID, GID, and groups for the current user.