Linux and Unix chfn command

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About chfn
Syntax
Examples
Related commands
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About chfn

Enables a super user or root to modify a users information or enables a user who knows their password to change their information.

Syntax

chfn [-f full_name] [-r room_no] [-w work_ph] [-h home_ph] [-o other] [user]

-f full_name Allows someone to change their full name on their account.
-r room_no Allows someone to change their room number on their account.
-w work_ph Allows someone to change their work phone number on their account.
-h home_ph Allows someone to change their home phone number on their account.
-o other Allows someone to change any other notes on their account.
user The name of the user who is being changed.

Examples

Tip: For these commands to work you must have super user rights, logged in as root, or know the password for the account currently logged into.

chfn

Running the command without any options will enable the user to change all the user information.

Note: If you're attempting to change the actual username and not just the description of the user see the vipw command.

Related commands

chsh
usermod
passwd
vipw