encfs on CentOS 6 can’t mount as normal user

On Rocky Linux 9, using a normal user, encfs works just well.

On Rocky Linux 9, using the root user, encfs works.

However, the problem is, on Rocky Linux 9, using a normal user account, encfs does not work as on Rocky Linux 9.

$ encfs -s ~/t/.enc ~/t/enc
EncFS Password: 
fuse: failed to exec fusermount: Permission denied
fuse failed.  Common problems:
 - fuse kernel module not installed (modprobe fuse)
 - invalid options -- see usage message

As the root user can mount encfs directory, the needed tools/modules should already be there.

What’s the reason and how to fix it?

On Rocky Linux 9 (and some old systems too), to make a user be able to use FUSE which is used by encfs, you need to add the user to the “fuse” group.

For example, to make user user1 to use encfs, you can do

# usermod -G fuse user1
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect current software versions as of 2026. Commands and package names have been revised accordingly.

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