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Linux w Guide
Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025
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Complete beginner-friendly guide to w on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including viewing logged-in users, system load, and user activity.
w shows who is logged in and what they're doing.
Features:
- Logged in users: See active users
- Current activity: What users are running
- System load: CPU load average
- Login time: When users logged in
Why it matters:
- Monitoring: Track system usage
- Security: See active sessions
- Troubleshooting: Debug user issues
Show all users:
# Show logged in users
w
# Output includes:
# - Username
# - Terminal
# - Login time
# - Idle time
# - Current commandCheck user:
# Show specific user
w username
# Or
w -u usernameWhat users are doing:
# Show with commands
w
# Shows:
# - USER: Username
# - TTY: Terminal
# - FROM: Remote host
# - LOGIN@: Login time
# - IDLE: Idle time
# - JCPU: CPU time
# - PCPU: Process CPU
# - WHAT: Current commandClean output:
# Hide header
w -h
# Just user listSystem load:
# w shows load average
w
# Top line shows:
# - Current time
# - Uptime
# - Load average
# - Number of usersBrief output:
# Short format
w -s
# Less detailedCheck installation:
# Check w
which w
# Usually in procps-ng
# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S procps-ngThis guide covered w usage, user activity monitoring, and system information for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.
- who Guide - Logged in users
- whoami Guide - Current user
- Process Management - Process management
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w Documentation:
man w
This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.