> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ploegert.gitbook.io/til/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ploegert.gitbook.io/til/os/unix/shells/change-default-shell-for-a-user.md).

# Change Default Shell For A User

You can change the default shell program for a particular unix user with the `chsh` command. Just tell it what shell program you want to use (e.g. `bash` or `zsh`) and which user the change is for:

```
$ [sudo] chsh -s /usr/bin/zsh username
```

This command needs to be invoked with root privileges.

This command updates the entry for that user in the `/etc/passwd` file.

[source](http://superuser.com/questions/46748/how-do-i-make-bash-my-default-shell-on-ubuntu)