Linux user starts in wrong directory?

Question

Whenever I su to user X, it always starts in user Y home directory. The biggest issue is that then X doesn't run its .bash_profile, it attempts Y's and fails. I'm guessing it's just a typo in how the user was defined, but don't know where that is. This is on Red Hat.

How do I change the user's starting directory or otherwise fix these symptoms?

The option below leads me to believe the problem is that I logged in as user Y, and was in his home. Did some stuff from there and was looking to switch to user X with X's full profile. The -l flag provides the behavior I was expecting — Adam, Dec 21 '10 at 18:43

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 21 '10 at 18:39

3

Try su -l $userX to, "Provide an environment similar to what the user would expect had the user logged in directly."

answered Dec 21 '10 at 18:39

Jeff Ferland

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Linux user starts in wrong directory?

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