Frequently Asked Question

What is /etc/skel and how does it shape new accounts?

/etc/skel (short for "skeleton") is the template directory that gets copied, file-for-file, into a new user's home directory the moment their account is created with useradd -m or adduser. Whatever is in /etc/skel, typically a starter .bashrc, .profile, .bash_logout, and perhaps a default .config/ tree, appears in ~ the first time the user logs in. After that the user owns the copies; further edits to /etc/skel only affect future accounts.

Administrators use /etc/skel to set organisation-wide defaults: a custom shell prompt, a welcome message, a default .vimrc, or a ~/Desktop/ and ~/Documents/ layout. The path is configurable in /etc/default/useradd (and /etc/adduser.conf on Debian), so on locked-down systems you can point at a stricter template. Files copied from /etc/skel get the new user's ownership but keep their original permissions, so put chmod 0644 on anything sensitive.