ps command in MacOS

The ps command in MacOS is a powerful tool used to display information about processes running on your system. It allows you to view detailed information such as process ID, terminal associated with the process, and resource usages. By using various options with the ps command, you can filter and format the output to suit your needs. Understanding how to use the ps command can help you identify and manage processes effectively on your MacOS system.

ps Syntax:

ps [option] [parameters]

MacOS ps Options:

Option	Description
-A	Select all processes except both session leaders and processes not associated with a terminal.
-a	Select all processes except both session leaders and processes not associated with a terminal.
-e	Select all processes.
-u	Display a user-oriented output format.
-x	Lift the BSD-style “must have a tty” restriction.

ps Parameters:

Parameter	Description
pid	Process ID of the targeted process.
user	User name associated with the process.
command	Command name or keyword to filter processes.

How to use ps command:

Display a List of All Running Processes

ps -A

Displays a list of all running processes on the system.

Display Detailed Process Information

ps aux

Displays detailed information about all processes running on the system, including the user, CPU usage, memory usage, etc.

Display Process Tree

ps axjf

Shows the process tree, displaying the hierarchical relationship between processes.

Find Process by PID

ps -p 1234

Displays information about the process with the specific Process ID (PID) 1234.

Display Processes Owned by a Specific User

ps -u username

Shows a list of processes owned by the specific user “username”.

Sort Processes by CPU Usage

ps aux --sort=-%cpu

Displays processes sorted by CPU usage in descending order.

Display Full Command Line of Processes

ps auxww

Shows the full command line of processes, including arguments and options.

Monitor Real-time Changes in Process Information

watch -n 1 'ps aux | grep processname'

Monitors real-time changes in process information for a specific process “processname”.

How do I use ps in MacOS?

To use the ps command in MacOS, execute the following command:

ps -A

How can I list all processes with ps in MacOS?

To list all processes with ps in MacOS, use the following command:

ps aux

How do I display process trees with ps in MacOS?

To display process trees with ps in MacOS, you can use the following command:

ps axjf

How can I show extended information with ps in MacOS?

To show extended information with ps in MacOS, run the following command:

ps -e -o pid,ppid,pgid,command

How do I filter processes with ps in MacOS?

To filter processes with ps in MacOS, use the following command with grep:

ps aux | grep <process_name>

How can I sort processes by memory usage with ps in MacOS?

To sort processes by memory usage with ps in MacOS, use the following command:

ps aux --sort -rss

How do I show processes of a specific user with ps in MacOS?

To show processes of a specific user with ps in MacOS, run the following command:

ps -U <username>

How do I display parent process IDs with ps in MacOS?

To display parent process IDs with ps in MacOS, execute the following command:

ps -o pid,ppid,comm

How can I refresh the display continuously with ps in MacOS?

To refresh the display continuously with ps in MacOS, use the watch command along with ps:

watch -n 1 'ps aux'

Applications of the ps command

Viewing information about running processes
Showing details about specific processes
Checking resource utilization of processes
Displaying a snapshot of the current processes
Monitoring system activity and performance