---
name: "acl_free"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "acl"
version: "2.4.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/acl_free"
---

# acl\_free(3)

release memory allocated to an ACL data object

## NAME

**acl\_free** – release memory allocated to an ACL data object

## LIBRARY

Linux Access Control Lists library (libacl, -lacl).

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<sys/types.h\>**

**#include \<sys/acl.h\>**

*int*\

**acl\_free**(*void \*obj\_p*);

## DESCRIPTION

The **acl\_free**() function frees any releasable memory currently allocated by to the ACL data object identified by *obj\_p*. The argument *obj\_p* may identify an ACL, an ACL entry qualifier, or a pointer to a string allocated by the **acl\_to\_text**() function.

## RETURN VALUE

The **acl\_free()** function returns the value 0 if successful; otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set to indicate the error.

## ERRORS

If any of the following conditions occur, the **acl\_free**() function returns the value -1 and and sets *errno* to the corresponding value:

- \[EINVAL\]

  The value of the argument *obj\_p* is invalid.

## STANDARDS

IEEE Std 1003.1e draft 17 (“POSIX.1e”, abandoned)

## SEE ALSO

[acl\_copy\_int(3)](/acl_copy_int/3.md), [acl\_create\_entry(3)](/acl_create_entry/3.md), [acl\_dup(3)](/acl_dup/3.md), [acl\_from\_text(3)](/acl_from_text/3.md), acl\_get\_fd, [acl\_get\_file(3)](/acl_get_file/3.md), [acl\_init(3)](/acl_init/3.md), [acl(5)](/acl/5.md)

## AUTHOR

Derived from the FreeBSD manual pages written by Robert N M Watson ⟨rwatson@FreeBSD.org⟩, and adapted for Linux by Andreas Gruenbacher ⟨andreas.gruenbacher@gmail.com⟩.