pkill MacOS command

The MacOS pkill command is a powerful tool for terminating processes based on specific criteria or keywords. By using pkill, users can efficiently manage running processes on their Mac systems. Instead of having to manually find and kill processes one by one, pkill allows for the termination of multiple processes at once, streamlining the process management workflow. With pkill, users can specify the criteria for process termination, such as process name or other attributes, making it a versatile and flexible command for managing system processes effectively.

pkill Syntax:

pkill [option] [parameter]

pkill Options:

Option	Description
-l	List all available signal names
-o	Oldest process (it is recommended to use with -x)
-x	Require an exact match for the process name
-u	Specify the username of the processes to be signaled

Caution

Exercise caution while using the pkill command as it can terminate processes abruptly, leading to potential data loss or system instability.

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
process_name	The name of the process to be killed

pkill Command Usage Examples:

Terminate a Process by Name

pkill -f "chrome"

This command will terminate any process with the name “chrome”.

Kill a Process by PID

pkill -9 -P 1234

This will send a SIGKILL signal (forceful termination) to the process with PID 1234 and all its child processes.

Stop Multiple Processes

pkill -f "python.*script"

This command will stop all processes whose name matches the regular expression “python.*script”.

Terminate a Process by Username

pkill -u username firefox

Kills all instances of the “firefox” process owned by the user with the username “username”.

Stop a Process Group

pkill -g 5678

This command will kill all processes that are in the same process group as the process with PGID 5678.

Tip

When using the pkill command in MacOS, be mindful of the process names or identifiers you provide as arguments to avoid accidentally terminating important processes.

How do I use pkill in MacOS?

To use the pkill command in bash, execute the following command:

pkill --signal <signal_number> <process_name>

How do I forcefully kill a process in MacOS using pkill?

To forcibly kill a process in MacOS using pkill, you can use the following command:

pkill -9 <process_name>

How do I kill all processes by a specific user in MacOS using pkill?

To kill all processes owned by a specific user in MacOS using pkill, run the following command:

pkill -u <username>

How do I list the processes that match a pattern before killing them with pkill in MacOS?

To list the processes that match a pattern before killing them using pkill in MacOS, use the following command:

pgrep -l <pattern>

How can I quiet the output of pkill in MacOS?

To quiet the output of the pkill command in MacOS, you can use the following command:

pkill -o <options> <process_name>

How can I include the parent process in the kill operation with pkill in MacOS?

To include the parent processes in the kill operation using pkill in MacOS, execute the command below:

pkill -P <parent_pid> <process_name>

How do I perform a case-insensitive kill with pkill in MacOS?

To perform a case-insensitive kill with pkill in MacOS, you can use the following command:

pkill -i <process_name>

How do I kill a process by its process identifier with pkill in MacOS?

To kill a process by its process identifier using pkill in MacOS, run the following command:

pkill -s <signal_number> -P <parent_pid> <process_pid>

Applications of the pkill command

• Terminating a process by name
• Sending signals to processes
• Simplifying the process termination process