---
title: "Unlock Folders"
slug: "unlock-folders"
updated: 2024-10-10T09:37:34Z
published: 2024-10-10T09:37:34Z
canonical: "help.scalefusion.com/unlock-folders"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.scalefusion.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Unlock Folders

Use this script to lock the following folders: Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, snap, Public, Templates for both Standard and Sudo Users on Linux machines.

1. Copy and save the contents below to a **UTF-8** editor like **notepad++** OR **Sublime Text** in Windows or **gedit** in Ubuntu.
  1. If you are using **notepad++** then use the bottom right panel to change the type to **Unix (LF)**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/175c0eac-012f-4410-bdc5-ac60794f82d8/Images/Documentation/image-OGJWY6DP.png)
2. Or click [here](https://cdn.document360.io/175c0eac-012f-4410-bdc5-ac60794f82d8/Images/Documentation/UnLock_Folder_Script.sh) to download the file.

```bash
#!/bin/bash

# Define directories to unlock
DIRECTORIES=("Documents" "Downloads" "Music" "Pictures" "Videos" "snap" "Public" "Templates")

# Function to unlock folders for a given user
unlock_folders() {
    local user="$1"
    local home_dir="/home/$user"
    
    echo "Processing user: $user"

    # Check if home directory exists
    if [ ! -d "$home_dir" ]; then
        echo "Error: Home directory $home_dir not found for user $user"
        return
    fi
    
    # Loop through each directory and unlock it
    for DIR in "${DIRECTORIES[@]}"; do
        local folder="$home_dir/$DIR"
        if [ -d "$folder" ]; then
            sudo chattr -i "$folder"
            if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
                echo "Unlocked $folder for user $user"
            else
                echo "Failed to unlock $folder for user $user"
            fi
        else
            echo "Directory $folder does not exist for user $user"
        fi
    done
}

# Check if script is run with root privileges
if [ "$(id -u)" != "0" ]; then
    echo "This script must be run with root privileges. Exiting."
    exit 1
fi

# Discover all user directories under /home except for system users (UID >= 1000)
for user_dir in /home/*; do
    user=$(basename "$user_dir")
    if [ "$user" != "lost+found" ] && [ $(id -u "$user") -ge 1000 ]; then
        unlock_folders "$user"
    fi
done

echo "All specified directories are now unlocked for all users."
```

```plaintext

```
3. Follow [our guide](/docs/deploy-linux-shell-scripts-using-scalefusion#step-1-upload-and-deploy-the-script) to upload & publish the script using Scalefusion Dashboard.

> [!CAUTION]
> Note:
> 
> 1. Some of the scripts and their contents are sourced from internet and yes, our new friend ChatGPT.
> 2. Please validate the scripts on a test machine before deploying them on all your managed devices.
> 3. Scalefusion has tested these scripts, however Scalefusion will not be responsible for any loss of data or system malfunction that may arise due to the usage of these scripts.