Learn Difference Between "su" and ???su -??? Commands in Linux | Linux Today

Learn Difference Between “su” and ???su -??? Commands in Linux

Written By
AK
Aaron Kili
Feb 5, 2018

Tecmint: The su command is used to switch to another user, in other words change user ID during a normal login session (that is why it is sometimes referred to as switch (-) user by a number of Linux users). If executed without a username, for example su -, it will login as root user by default.

AK

Aaron Kili

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.