Python os.chmod() Method

1. Syntax of the os.chmod() Method
2. Example Codes: Working With the os.chmod() Method in Python
3. Example Codes: Set Permission to an Octal Number Using the os.chmod() Method in Python

Python os.chmod() method is an efficient way of changing the permission of a file/directory to the specified mode entered as a parameter.

Syntax of the os.chmod() Method

os.chmod(path address, mode)

Parameters

Return

In the execution process, this method does not return any value.

Example Codes: Working With the os.chmod() Method in Python

import os
import sys
import stat

os.chmod("/home/file.txt", stat.S_IREAD)
print("Now, this file can be read only by the owner.")

os.chmod("/home/file.txt", stat.S_IRGRP)
print("Now, this file can be read only by a group of users.")

os.chmod("/home/file.txt", stat.S_IROTH)
print("The file access has changed; now it can be read by others.")

Output:

Now, this file can be read only by the owner.
Now, this file can be read only by a group of users.
The file access has changed; now it can be read by others.

This method can work on a specified file descriptor, an absolute or a relative path, and it might work on a symlink on some systems.

Example Codes: Set Permission to an Octal Number Using the os.chmod() Method in Python

import os

file_name = "file.txt"

os.chmod(file_name, 0o777)

stat = os.stat(file_name)

mode = oct(stat.st_mode)[-3:]

print(mode)

Output:

777

When using the os.chmod() method, write 0o before the permissions to set because they represent an octal integer. In the above code, the file’s permission is set to 777, meaning anyone can do anything they want with the file.

Find more numeric notations here.