# chmod 770 — What It Means & When to Use It

> Owner and group can do everything; everyone else has no access. Symbolic: `rwxrwx---` · Safe when used as intended.

770 grants read, write and execute to the owner and the group, and nothing at all to anyone else. Other users can't list, enter or read anything in the directory.

It suits directories shared by a defined set of users or services that should stay invisible to the rest of the system.

## Permission by permission

| Who | Permissions |
|---|---|
| owner | read, write and execute |
| group | read, write and execute |
| others | no permissions |

Symbolic chmod argument: `u=rwx,g=rwx,o=`

## Use it for

- Private team directories on a shared server.
- Data directories shared between an application user and a helper service in the same group.

## Avoid it for

- Web content the web server must read while running as a different, non-member user — it will get 403 Forbidden.
- Files that aren't programs: use `660` so they aren't executable.

## FAQ

### 770 vs 775?

775 lets everyone else list and read the directory; 770 hides it from them entirely. Choose 770 when outsiders have no reason to see the contents.

## Related modes

- [chmod 775](https://www.devkult.com/chmod/775.md): Owner and group can do everything; others can read and execute
- [chmod 750](https://www.devkult.com/chmod/750.md): Owner can do everything; group can read and execute; others have no access
- [chmod 660](https://www.devkult.com/chmod/660.md): Owner and group can read and write; others have no access
- [chmod 700](https://www.devkult.com/chmod/700.md): Only the owner can read, write and execute

Open the interactive page: https://www.devkult.com/chmod/770