Linux who Guide - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki
Linux who Guide
Complete beginner-friendly guide to who on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including viewing logged-in users, login information, and system activity.
Table of Contents
Understanding who
What is who?
who shows who is logged in.
Uses:
- Logged in users: See active users
- Login times: When users logged in
- Terminals: Which terminals are in use
- System activity: Monitor system usage
Why it matters:
- Security: See who's on system
- Monitoring: Track system usage
- Troubleshooting: Debug login issues
who Basics
List Users
Show logged in:
# Show all logged in users
who
# Output format:
# username tty1 2024-01-15 10:00 (:0)
Detailed Information
More details:
# Show with details
who -a
# Show with headers
who -H
Viewing Users
Current User
Show yourself:
# Show current user
who am i
# Or
whoami
All Information
Complete info:
# All information
who -a
# Includes:
# - Username
# - Terminal
# - Login time
# - Remote host
Login Information
Boot Time
System uptime:
# Show boot time
who -b
# System boot time
Login History
Recent logins:
# Show login history
last
# Or
lastlog
Troubleshooting
who Not Found
Check installation:
# Check who
which who
# Usually in coreutils
# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S coreutils
Summary
This guide covered who usage, user listing, and login information for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.
Next Steps
- w Guide - User activity
- whoami Guide - Current user
- User and Groups - User management
- who Documentation:
man who
This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.