Linux htop Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to htop on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including installation, process monitoring, and system resource tracking.

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Table of Contents

1. htop Installation
2. htop Interface
3. htop Usage
4. Advanced Features
5. Troubleshooting

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htop Installation

Install htop

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install htop
sudo pacman -S htop

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install htop

Fedora:

sudo dnf install htop

Launch htop

Start htop:

# Launch htop
htop

# Or with options
htop -d 5  # 5 second delay

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htop Interface

Interface Layout

htop display:

• Top: CPU, memory, swap usage
• Middle: Process list
• Bottom: Function keys

Colors

Color coding:

• Blue: Low priority
• Green: Normal priority
• Yellow: High priority
• Red: Very high priority

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htop Usage

Navigation

Keyboard shortcuts:

• Arrow keys: Navigate
• F9: Kill process
• F5: Tree view
• F6: Sort by
• Space: Tag process
• Q: Quit

Process Management

Manage processes:

1. Select process
2. F9: Kill menu
3. Choose signal
4. Confirm

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Advanced Features

Tree View

Process tree:

1. F5: Toggle tree view
2. See process hierarchy
3. Navigate tree

Sorting

Sort processes:

1. F6: Sort menu
2. Select sort option
3. CPU, Memory, Time, etc.

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Troubleshooting

htop Not Starting

Check installation:

# Check htop
which htop

# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S htop

Display Issues

Fix display:

# Reset terminal
reset

# Or use different terminal

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Summary

This guide covered htop installation, interface, and usage for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• System Monitoring - System monitoring
• Process Management - Process management
• htop: https://htop.dev/

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.