Changing Permissions of Locked Folders in Ubuntu Linux

Terminal Comfort is a way to get more comfortable using the terminal in Ubuntu linux. Today we are going to talk about locked folders. Many newer users who are not comfortable with the terminal get by all right today with linux because it has become so much more user friendly over the years. But every once in a while a user of linux who is not comfortable using the terminal, will accidental do something such as luck a folder and will not know what to do.

If you are one of those users who are not familiar with the terminal lets, teach you how to unlock a folder. So you normal avoid the terminal and like to drag and drop and move folders around like you were used to doing in windows, but now you have come across a folder or file you want to move of delete and it has a mini lock icon on it. You click and drag it and try and delete it or move it but no matter how many times you try that file just won't move of go away. So now it is time for you to open up the scary terminal and fix this simple problem. Here is how to unlock a folder using your terminal:

1. First lets Open up your terminal.

To open up your terminal in Ubuntu you can navigate to Applications>Accessories>Terminal

2. Navigate to the locked folder in the terminal

For most, when you open a terminal in Ubuntu you will start out in your Home directory. If your folder is located in a path in your home directory you can navigate to it by using the cd command, for changing directory. Just type. "cd folder-name" without the quotes. Also in ubuntu folder names are case sensitive. If your folder is on your desktop then you will have to navigate out of the home folder and onto the desktop. To navigate to the desktop type, "cd Desktop" without the quotes.

Once you have navigated to the directory that the locked folder is in you will then change the permissions of the file using the terminal.

3. Unlock the the folder

When your in the directory the folder is in type this command into the terminal, "sudo chown -R username:username folder-name" again without the quotes, and replace the folder-name with your actual folder name. You will then be prompted to type your user password into the terminal and once you hit enter the folder will be unlocked and ready to be moved or deleted.