---
name: "chpass"
section: "1"
platform: "macos"
package: "system_cmds"
version: "1042.120.1"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["freebsd", "openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/chpass"
---

# chpass(1)

add or change user database information

## NAME

**chpass**, **chfn**, **chsh** – add or change user database information

## SYNOPSIS

**chpass** \[**-l** *location*\] \[**-u** *authname*\] \[**-s** *newshell*\] \[user\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **chpass** utility allows editing of the user database information associated with *user* or, by default, the current user.

The **chpass** utility *cannot* change the user's password on Open Directory systems. Use the [passwd(1)](/passwd/1.md) utility instead.

The **chfn** and **chsh** utilities behave identically to **chpass**. (There is only one program.)

The information is formatted and supplied to an editor for changes.

Only the information that the user is allowed to change is displayed.

The options are as follows:

- **-l** *location*

  If not specified, **chpass** will perform a search for the user record on all available Open Directory nodes. When specified, **chpass** will edit the user record on the directory node at the given *location*.

- **-u** *authname*

  The user name to use when authenticating to the directory node containing the user.

- **-s** *newshell*

  Attempt to change the user's shell to *newshell*.

Possible display items are as follows:

- Login:

  user's login name

- Uid:

  user's login

- Gid:

  user's login group

- Generated uid:

  user's UUID

- Full Name:

  user's real name

- Office Location:

  user's office location

- Office Phone:

  user's office phone

- Home Phone:

  user's home phone

- Home Directory:

  user's home directory

- Shell:

  user's login shell

The *login* field is the user name used to access the computer account.

The *uid* field is the number associated with the *login* field. Both of these fields should be unique across the system (and often across a group of systems) as they control file access.

While it is possible to have multiple entries with identical login names and/or identical user id's, it is usually a mistake to do so. Routines that manipulate these files will often return only one of the multiple entries, and that one by random selection.

The *gid* field is the group that the user will be placed in at login. Since BSD supports multiple groups (see [groups(1)](/groups/1.md)) this field currently has little special meaning. This field may be filled in with either a number or a group name (see [group(5)](/group/5.md)).

The *generated* *uid* field is the globally unique identifier (UUID) for the user. The *full* *name* field contains the full name of the user.

The user's *home* *directory* is the full UNIX path name where the user will be placed at login.

The *shell* field is the command interpreter the user prefers. If the *shell* field is empty, the Bourne shell, */bin/sh*, is assumed. When altering a login shell, and not the super-user, the user may not change from a non-standard shell or to a non-standard shell. Non-standard is defined as a shell not found in */etc/shells*.

The *picture* field is the path to a picture to be displayed for the user.

## OPEN DIRECTORY

User database entries are under the control of DirectoryService(8) and may be physically located in many different places, including the local Directory Service node, and remote LDAP servers. This version of **chpass** uses Open Directory to change user database information. It does not interact with the historic flat file database */etc/master.passwd*

## ENVIRONMENT

The [vi(1)](/vi/1.md) editor will be used unless the environment variable EDITOR is set to an alternate editor. When the editor terminates, the information is re-read and used to update the user database itself. Only the user, or the super-user, may edit the information associated with the user.

## FILES

- */etc/chpass.XXXXXX*

  temporary file

- */etc/shells*

  the list of approved shells

## EXAMPLES

Change the shell of the current user to ‘/bin/zsh’:

```
chsh -s /bin/zsh
```

## SEE ALSO

[login(1)](/login/1.md), [passwd(1)](/passwd/1.md), [getusershell(3)](/getusershell/3.md), DirectoryService(8) Robert Morris and Ken Thompson, *UNIX Password security*.

## HISTORY

The **chpass** utility appeared in 4.3BSD-Reno.