{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "uudecode",
    "section": "1",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/uudecode/1/json",
    "generated": "2026-06-17T19:12:48Z",
    "synopsis": "uudecode [-flags] [-flag [value]] [--option-name[[=| ]value]] [<file>...]\nIf no file(s) are provided, then standard input is decoded.",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "uudecode - decode an encoded file\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "uudecode [-flags] [-flag [value]] [--option-name[[=| ]value]] [<file>...]\n\nIf no file(s) are provided, then standard input is decoded.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "uudecode transforms uuencoded files into their original form.\n\nThe  encoded  file(s)  may be specified on the command line, or one may be read from standard\ninput.  The output file name is specified in the encoded file, but may be overridden with the",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-o",
                    "content": "are not retained.  If the output file is specified to be /dev/stdout or -, the result will be\nwritten  to  standard  output.  If there are multiple input files and the second or subsquent\nfile specifies standard output, the decoded data will be written to the same file as the pre‐\nvious output.  Don't do that.\n\nuudecode  ignores  any leading and trailing lines.  It looks for a line that starts with \"be‐‐\ngin\" and proceeds until the end-of-encoding marker is found.  The program determines from the\nheader  line  of  the  encoded  file which of the two supported encoding schemes was used and\nwhether or not the output file name has been encoded with base64 encoding.  See uuencode(5).\n",
                    "flag": "-o"
                }
            ]
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-o --output-file",
                    "content": "direct output to file.\n\nIf specified, decoded data are written to this file.  When multiple inputs are  speci‐\nfied  on  the command line, this option cannot be specified.  All decoded data must be\nwritten to the file name encoded in the data.\n",
                    "flag": "-o",
                    "long": "--output-file"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-c --ignore-chmod",
                    "content": "ignore fchmod(3P) errors.\n\nBy default, if the output file permissions cannot be changed to the permissions speci‐\nfied  in the encoded data, the file will not be written out and execution stops.  This\noption will cause that error to be ignored.  The resulting  file  will  have  all  the\ndata, but the incorrect mode settings.\n\nfchmod()  errors  are  also ignored if POSIXLYCORRECT is set in the environment.  RE:\nhttp://austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=635\n\nA warning is always emitted when fchmod() fails.\n",
                    "flag": "-c",
                    "long": "--ignore-chmod"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-h --help",
                    "content": "Display usage information and exit.\n\n-!, --more-help\nPass the extended usage information through a pager.\n",
                    "flag": "-h",
                    "long": "--help"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-R --save-opts",
                    "content": "Save the option state to cfgfile.  The default is the last configuration  file  listed\nin the OPTION PRESETS section, below.  The command will exit after updating the config\nfile.\n",
                    "flag": "-R",
                    "long": "--save-opts"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-r --load-opts --no-load-opts",
                    "content": "Load options from cfgfile.  The no-load-opts form will disable the loading of  earlier\nconfig/rc/ini files.  --no-load-opts is handled early, out of order.\n",
                    "flag": "-r",
                    "long": "--no-load-opts"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-v --version",
                    "content": "Output  version  of program and exit.  The default mode is `v', a simple version.  The\n`c' mode will print copyright information and `n' will print the  full  copyright  no‐\ntice.\n",
                    "flag": "-v",
                    "long": "--version"
                }
            ]
        },
        "OPTION PRESETS": {
            "content": "Any option that is not marked as not presettable may be preset by loading values from config‐\nuration (\"RC\" or \".INI\") file(s).  The file \"$HOME/.sharrc\" will be used, if present.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "STANDARDS": {
            "content": "This implementation is compliant with P1003.2b/D11.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "FILES": {
            "content": "See OPTION PRESETS for configuration files.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "EXIT STATUS": {
            "content": "One of the following exit values will be returned:\n\n0  (EXITSUCCESS)\nSuccessful program execution.\n\n1  (EXITOPTIONERROR)\nThe command options were misconfigured.\n\n2  (EXITINVALID)\n(warning) One or more input files contained no valid data\n\n4  (EXITNOINPUT)\n(warning) The specified input file was not found\n\n8  (EXITNOOUTPUT)\nThe specified output file could not be created (error); or  else  one  of  the  output\nfiles  could  not  be written or its access mode could not be changed (warnings).  The\naccompanying message(s) will distinguish.\n\n9  (EXITNOMEM)\nNo process memory available\n\n66  (EXNOINPUT)\nA specified configuration file could not be loaded.\n\n70  (EXSOFTWARE)\nlibopts  had  an  internal  operational  error.   Please   report   it   to   autogen-\nusers@lists.sourceforge.net.  Thank you.\n\nThe  exit status codes are (mostly) warning codes.  As such, each code is \"or\"-ed into\nthe final exit code as the input files are processed.  For example, an  exit  code  of\n'6'  is  not listed above.  It is the sum of EXITINVALID and EXITNOINPUT.  It would\nmean that at least one input file contained invalid data and also at least  one  input\nfile could not be found at all.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "uuencode(1), uuencode(5)\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHORS": {
            "content": "Free Software Foundation, Inc.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "COPYRIGHT": {
            "content": "Copyright  (C) 1994-2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc. all rights reserved.  This program is\nreleased under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 3 or later.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "BUGS": {
            "content": "Please put sharutils in the subject line for emailed bug reports.  It helps to spot the  mes‐\nsage.\n\nIf  more than one name in the encoded files are the same, or if the second or following input\nfiles specifies standard output for the output file, then the result is probably not what  is\nexpected.   Specifically,  standard output will be appended to and named output files will be\nreplaced.\n\nPlease send bug reports to: bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "NOTES": {
            "content": "This manual page was AutoGen-erated from the uudecode option definitions.\n\n\n\nGNU sharutils (4.15.2)                       30 May 2015                                 uudecode(1)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "uudecode - decode an encoded file",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "-o",
            "long": "--output-file",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "direct output to file. If specified, decoded data are written to this file. When multiple inputs are speci‐ fied on the command line, this option cannot be specified. All decoded data must be written to the file name encoded in the data."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-c",
            "long": "--ignore-chmod",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "ignore fchmod(3P) errors. By default, if the output file permissions cannot be changed to the permissions speci‐ fied in the encoded data, the file will not be written out and execution stops. This option will cause that error to be ignored. The resulting file will have all the data, but the incorrect mode settings. fchmod() errors are also ignored if POSIXLYCORRECT is set in the environment. RE: http://austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=635 A warning is always emitted when fchmod() fails."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-h",
            "long": "--help",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Display usage information and exit. -!, --more-help Pass the extended usage information through a pager."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-R",
            "long": "--save-opts",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Save the option state to cfgfile. The default is the last configuration file listed in the OPTION PRESETS section, below. The command will exit after updating the config file."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-r",
            "long": "--no-load-opts",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Load options from cfgfile. The no-load-opts form will disable the loading of earlier config/rc/ini files. --no-load-opts is handled early, out of order."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-v",
            "long": "--version",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Output version of program and exit. The default mode is `v', a simple version. The `c' mode will print copyright information and `n' will print the full copyright no‐ tice."
        }
    ],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "uuencode",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/uuencode/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "uuencode",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/uuencode/5/json"
        }
    ],
    "tldr": {
        "source": "official",
        "description": "Decode files encoded by `uuencode`.",
        "examples": [
            {
                "description": "Decode a file that was encoded with `uuencode` and print the result to `stdout`",
                "command": "uudecode {{path/to/encoded_file}}"
            },
            {
                "description": "Decode a file that was encoded with `uuencode` and write the result to a file",
                "command": "uudecode -o {{path/to/decoded_file}} {{path/to/encoded_file}}"
            }
        ]
    }
}