Hello,

I want to change the PATH variable for all users and for superuser. I have changed the path in /etc/login.defs and in /etc/profile. For the superuser the path is changed, but for normal user not.

I am using Debian 8 with the xfce desktop.

What am I missing ???

Hmmm... perhaps add your path to /etc/environment as well?

Also, log out, and log back in!

Not a lot. If the /etc/profile did not do the trick, check the SHELL your users are loading. For BASH users I would load the change into /etc/bash_profile (or, less correctly /etc/bashrc). There are different shell specific profiles for different shells that can override. Make sure you use the pathmunge macro if it is available.

Also, if that fails you, check the ${HOME}/.bash_profile for the user. If they set the path in that it can override everything that came before.

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanx guys for your quick responses. Changing /etc/bash.bashrc did the trick. I added the following:

if [ "`id -u`" -eq 0 ]; then

PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"

else

PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games:/usr/local/sbin"

fi
export PATH

@HMW: When I added the command

PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games:/usr/local/sbin"

to /etv/environment, it was changed for the superuser as well, which was not what I wanted.
Also: you are right to mention I have to log out and back in, but that is (almost) standard procedure for me when changing settings.

@wpeckham: The files "/etc/bash_profile" and "${HOME}/.bash_profile" are not present on my system. Still, you set me on the right track, so I marked your answer as helpful.

Thanks again to both of you.

Eeeh...
(My emphasis)

[sigh]

@HMW: Sorry, my bad. Should have been more precise.

What I meant was: I want to change the path for all users into something like "original_PATH_all_users:directory_A", and the path for the superuser into something like "original_PATH_superusers:directory_B:directory_C"

Thanks for bearing with me.

No problem. I'm glad that you solved your issue.

Best regards,
HMW