Reference

vipw(8)

edit the password or group file

NAME

vipw, vigr - edit the password or group file

SYNOPSIS

vipw [options]

vigr [options]

DESCRIPTION

vipw edits the password file after setting the appropriate locks, and does any necessary processing after the password file is unlocked. If the password file is already locked for editing by another user, vipw will ask you to try again later. The default editor for vipw and vigr is vi(1). vigr edits the group file in the same manner as vipw does the passwd file.

OPTIONS

-h, --help

Display help text and exit.

-V, --version

Display version and exit.

ENVIRONMENT

If the following environment variable exists, it will be utilized by vipw and vigr:

EDITOR

The editor specified by the string EDITOR will be invoked instead of the default editor vi(1).

HISTORY

The vipw command appeared in 4.0BSD. The vigr command appeared in Util-Linux 2.6.

SEE ALSO

vi(1), passwd(1), flock(2), passwd(5)

AVAILABILITY

The vigr and vipw commands are part of the util-linux package and are available from Linux Kernel Archive <https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/>

History

--help since Debian 4.0 (Etch); --version since Arch Linux 2026-11-01; -V since Arch Linux 2026-11-01; -h since Debian 4.0 (Etch).

--group until Debian 13 (Trixie); --passwd until Debian 13 (Trixie); --quiet until Debian 13 (Trixie); --root until Debian 13 (Trixie); --shadow until Debian 13 (Trixie); -R until Debian 13 (Trixie); -g until Debian 13 (Trixie); -p until Debian 13 (Trixie); -q until Debian 13 (Trixie); -s until Debian 13 (Trixie).