---
name: "usermgmt.conf"
section: "5"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/usermgmt.conf"
---

# usermgmt.conf(5)

user management tools configuration file

## NAME

**usermgmt.conf** – user management tools configuration file

## DESCRIPTION

The **usermgmt.conf** file defines the default values used by the user management tools, user(8).

Options in this file can be set by manually editing */etc/usermgmt.conf* or using the **-D** option to [useradd(8)](/useradd/8.md).

- **base\_dir**

  Sets the base directory name, in which new users' home directories are created when using the **-m** option to [useradd(8)](/useradd/8.md).

- **class**

  Sets the default login class for new users. See [login.conf(5)](/login.conf/5.md) for more information on user login classes.

- **expire**

  Sets the default time at which the new accounts expire. Both the *expire* and *inactive* fields should be entered in the form “month day year”, where month is the month name (the first three characters are sufficient), day is the day of the month, and year is the year. Time in seconds since the Epoch (UTC) is also valid. A value of 0 can be used to disable this feature.

- **group**

  Sets the default primary group for new users. If this is the special string **=uid**, a group is created with the same numeric ID as the UID; if such a group already exists a warning is given and no group is created. It has the format:

  **group** *gid* \| *name* \| **=uid**

- **inactive**

  Sets the default time at which the passwords of new accounts expire. A value of 0 can be used to disable this feature. Also see the *expire* field.

- **password**

  Specifies a default password encrypted with [encrypt(1)](/encrypt/1.md).

- **preserve**

  If this value is one of ‘true’, ‘yes’, or a non-zero number, then the user login information will be preserved when removing a user with [userdel(8)](/userdel/8.md).

- **range**

  Specifies the UID boundaries for new users. If unspecified, the default is “1000..60000”. It has the format:

  ```
  range starting-uid..ending-uid
  ```

- **shell**

  Sets the default login shell for new users.

- **skel\_dir**

  Sets the default skeleton directory in which to find files with which to populate the new user's home directory.

## FILES

- */etc/usermgmt.conf*

  - */etc/skel/\**

  - */etc/login.conf*

  ## SEE ALSO

[login.conf(5)](/login.conf/5.md), [passwd(5)](/passwd/5.md), user(8), [useradd(8)](/useradd/8.md), [userdel(8)](/userdel/8.md), [usermod(8)](/usermod/8.md)

## STANDARDS

Other implementations of the user(8) utilities use the *inactive-time* parameter to refer to the maximum number of days allowed between logins (this is used to lock "stale" accounts that have not been used for a period of time). However, on OpenBSD systems this parameter refers instead to the password change time. This is due to differences in the [passwd(5)](/passwd/5.md) database compared to other operating systems.

## HISTORY

The **usermgmt.conf** configuration file first appeared in OpenBSD 2.7.