---
name: "shells"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "man-pages"
version: "6.19-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/shells"
---

# shells(5)

pathnames of valid login shells

## NAME

shells - pathnames of valid login shells

## DESCRIPTION

*/etc/shells* is a text file which contains the full pathnames of valid login shells. This file is consulted by [**chsh**(1)](/chsh/1.md) and available to be queried by other programs.

Be aware that there are programs which consult this file to find out if a user is a normal user; for example, FTP daemons traditionally disallow access to users with shells not included in this file.

## FILES

*/etc/shells*

## EXAMPLES

*/etc/shells* may contain the following paths:

```
/bin/sh
/bin/bash
/bin/csh
```

## SEE ALSO

[**chsh**(1)](/chsh/1.md), [**getusershell**(3)](/getusershell/3.md), [**pam\_shells**(8)](/pam_shells/8.md)