- 1How to Add a New User in Linux
- 2Modify Existing User in Linux
- 3Delete a User in Linux — Step-by-Step for Beginners
- 4Create a User Group in Linux - Step-by-Step Tutorial
- 5Linux: Add User to Group
- 6How to Remove a User from a Group in Linux
- 7Delete a User Group in Linux - Beginner Friendly Tutorial
- 8Linux su Command Tutorial – Switch Users Easily
- 9Linux sudo Command - Execute as Another User
- 10Change a User's Password in Linux Using passwd
- 11Set Password Expiry in Linux using chage
- 12Lock a User Account in Linux
- 13How to Unlock a User Account in Linux
- 14Configure User Login Shell in Linux
- 15How to Configure User Environment Variables in Linux
- 16Edit .bashrc and .profile in Linux - User Startup Files Tutorial
How to Add a User to a Group in Linux
How to Add a User to a Group in Linux
Hey there! 👋 Welcome to this tutorial from ProgramGuru.org. Today, we're diving into something every Linux user and admin should know — how to add a user to a group.
If you're just starting out, don't worry — we'll go step-by-step and explain everything as we go.
🔍 Why do we need groups in Linux?
Groups are a way to organize users so that you can manage permissions more easily. For example, you might want several users to access the same folder or run certain commands — groups make that possible without assigning permissions individually.
👤 Step 1: Check the current groups of a user
Before adding a user to a new group, it’s helpful to see which groups they already belong to.
groups username
Example:
groups alice
alice : alice sudo
This means the user alice
is already in the alice
and sudo
groups.
➕ Step 2: Add the user to a new group
To add a user to a group, we use the usermod
command with the -aG
options:
sudo usermod -aG groupname username
Let’s say we want to add alice
to the developers
group:
sudo usermod -aG developers alice
📝 Important: The -a
means append, and -G
specifies the group list. Forgetting -a
could remove the user from other groups!
🔁 Step 3: Re-check the user’s groups
Now let’s check if the user has been added successfully:
groups alice
alice : alice sudo developers
🔒 Step 4 (Optional): Verify with a new login
The group changes may not apply immediately for running sessions. Ask the user to log out and log back in, or you can use the newgrp
command to switch groups in the current session:
newgrp developers
✅ That’s it!
You’ve just added a user to a group in Linux! 🎉 This is really useful when setting permissions on files, folders, and executing specific admin-level tasks.
If you liked this guide, don’t forget to check out more beginner-friendly Linux tutorials at ProgramGuru.org.
See you in the next lesson!
Next Topic ⮕How to Remove a User from a Group in Linux
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