Octal Permission Converter Calculator

Work out octal permission converter instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Octal Permission Converter Calculator

Symbolic and octal notation describe the same nine permission bits. Each class of three characters maps to one octal digit by summing 4 for r, 2 for w and 1 for x, so rw-r--r-- is 644. Converting in both directions is a routine part of reading ls output against chmod arguments.

Formula

Conversion

per class: r = 4, w = 2, x = 1, summed; reverse by decomposing each octal digit into those three bits

Worked example

With the default values below, Octal Permission Converter Calculator returns Converted mode of 644. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Mode to convert: rw-r--r--
Conversion directionone of Symbolic to octal, Octal to symbolic: Symbolic to octal

Results

Converted mode: 644
Octal form: 644
Symbolic form: rw-r--r--
Per-class values: owner 6, group 4, other 4

Step by step

1Values used
2Conversion
3Converted mode= 644
4Octal form= 644
5Symbolic form= rw-r--r--
6Per-class values= owner 6, group 4, other 4

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the extra characters in ls -l mean?

The first character is the file type — d for directory, l for symlink, - for regular file — and it is not part of the nine permission bits.

Why does an s or t appear instead of x?

Those indicate setuid, setgid or the sticky bit, which occupy a fourth leading octal digit rather than the standard three.