htop
The top replacement that is on every machine — still the fastest way to find and kill a process.
What it does
htop lists processes with per-core meters, sortable columns, a tree view, incremental search, and signal sending from a menu rather than by typing a PID. Compared to btop it is plainer, starts instantly, and is available on essentially every Unix system in existence.
htop
htop -u $USER # only your processes
htop -t # start in tree mode
# F4 filter · F5 tree · F6 sort · F9 killNotes
On macOS some columns are less useful than on Linux — the kernel exposes different accounting — and it cannot see other users’ processes without sudo. Worth having even with btop installed: it is the lowest-common-denominator tool, present on almost any Unix box you will ever SSH into, and the muscle memory is universal.
Alternative to
| Alternative | Type | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| btop | Open source | Much better looking, with graphs and mouse support |
| top | Built in | Always present, no install, unpleasant to read |
| procs | Open source | A modern ps replacement rather than an interactive monitor |
Install
brew install htop