Author: Aaron Turner
Email: aturner@pobox.com
Web Page: http://www.pobox.com/~aturner/
Date Submitted: Thu, Sep 3, 1998
Status: New Entry

Requester: Matt Dinger
Email: mattd@hq.wol.org
Web Page: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/4447
Request Made: Tue, Sep 1, 1998

Releases: all
Platform: all
Category:  User Management
Category Listing:  How do I change the default shell?

Issue

I want to be able to use the tcsh shell all the time in Linux 
rather than bash. I know how to invoke the tcsh, but I can't 
remember how to change the default shell to tcsh so thatt it 
uses tcsh when I log in. 

Response

To change the default shell from bash to another shell (such as 
tcsh or csh): 
1) Login as root 

2) Edit the /etc/passwd file 

3) Find the line of the login for the user who's shell you'd like to
change

4)  The last field (colon delimited) is the shell, edit it too your
liking, but make sure that the shell is listed in /etc/shells

5) Save the /etc/passwd file

An alternate method is to use the 'chsh' command 

References

see the man pages for: "chsh", "shells", and "5 passwd"