How to Install Htop on Ubuntu (26.04, 24.04, 22.04)

Htop is an interactive process viewer that helps you identify CPU-hogging applications, track memory leaks in real-time, and kill unresponsive processes without leaving your terminal. Unlike the classic top command, htop provides color-coded displays, mouse support, and the ability to sort, filter, and manage processes with simple keystrokes. Whether you need to troubleshoot a slow system, monitor resource usage during development, or manage remote servers efficiently, htop gives you immediate visibility into what your system is doing.

Most Ubuntu desktop installations include htop by default, but minimal server deployments and cloud images often omit it. The sections below cover how to install htop on Ubuntu with APT or Snap, navigate the interface, manage process priorities, and customize the display for your workflow.

Update Ubuntu Before Installing htop

Before installing htop, update all existing Ubuntu packages to maintain stability, security, and compatibility with new software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

If your Ubuntu user account does not have sudo privileges, visit our guide on how to add a user to sudoers on Ubuntu before continuing.

Choose Your htop Installation Method on Ubuntu

Ubuntu offers two primary methods to install htop: the default APT repository provides stable, well-tested versions, while Snap delivers newer upstream releases with automatic updates. Choose based on whether you prioritize stability or access to the latest features.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
APT (recommended)	Ubuntu default repository	3.0.x–3.4.x	Distribution cycle	Most users seeking stable, tested packages
Snap	Upstream maintainer	3.3.x+	Automatic, frequent	Users who want the newest upstream features

APT is recommended for most users because it integrates directly with Ubuntu’s package management and receives security patches through standard system updates. Choose Snap only if you need features from an upstream release that has not yet reached Ubuntu repositories.

Install htop with APT

Install htop from the default Ubuntu repository:

sudo apt install htop

Verify the installed version:

htop --version

htop 3.4.1

The output displays your installed htop version. Ubuntu 26.04 ships htop 3.4.1, Ubuntu 24.04 includes 3.3.0, and Ubuntu 22.04 provides 3.0.5. All features in this guide work with any 3.x release.

Install htop with Snap

Alternatively, the Snap version delivers newer htop releases directly from the upstream maintainer. Since Ubuntu includes Snap by default, you can install immediately:

sudo snap install htop

Verify the Snap installation:

snap list htop

Name  Version  Rev   Tracking       Publisher
htop  3.3.0    3524  latest/stable  maxiberta✪

The Snap version runs in a confined environment with limited system access by default. To enable full system monitoring capabilities, connect optional interfaces: sudo snap connect htop:mount-observe and sudo snap connect htop:network-control for advanced network statistics.

Use htop to Monitor and Control Processes

Htop uses function keys and arrow keys to navigate, sort, and control processes. The interface also responds to mouse clicks for column sorting and process selection. Press F1 inside htop at any time to open the built-in help screen.

Launch htop

Start htop from any terminal:

htop

To monitor only your own processes, launch htop with a user filter:

htop -u $USER

Interactive htop interface displaying system metrics:

The top section displays CPU cores, memory usage, swap usage, and system load averages. Below that, the process list shows PIDs, users, CPU/memory consumption, and command details. You can navigate with arrow keys or click processes with your mouse.

Navigate and Sort Processes

Use arrow keys and function keys to navigate the process list and change sort order:

Key	Action
Up/Down	Move through the process list
Left/Right	Scroll columns to view additional metrics
F6	Open sort menu to choose CPU, memory, PID, or other columns
F5	Toggle tree view to show parent-child process relationships

Click any column header with your mouse to sort by that metric, or use F6 for keyboard-only navigation.

Kill and Reprioritize Processes

Control misbehaving or resource-intensive applications directly from htop:

Key	Action	When to Use
F9 → SIGTERM (15)	Gracefully terminate a process	First choice for frozen applications that stop responding
F9 → SIGKILL (9)	Force immediate termination	Process ignores SIGTERM and refuses to close
F9 → SIGHUP (1)	Reload configuration without restarting	Apply config changes to daemons like Nginx or Apache
F7	Increase priority (lower nice value)	Give a critical task more CPU time
F8	Decrease priority (higher nice value)	Throttle background tasks competing for resources

Search and Filter Processes

Quickly locate specific processes with search and filter functions:

Key	Action	Example
F3	Search by name; highlights the first matching process	Type nginx to jump to the Nginx worker process
F4	Filter the list to show only matching processes	Type your username to isolate your own processes

Customize htop Display

Press F2 to open the setup menu where you can customize meters, color schemes, and column layouts. All changes save automatically to ~/.config/htop/htoprc and persist across sessions. Common customizations include:

• Adding meters for disk I/O, network activity, or battery status
• Rearranging columns to prioritize CPU, memory, or I/O metrics
• Switching color schemes for better visibility on light or dark terminals

The htop setup menu for customizing display options:

Exit htop

Press F10 or Q to exit htop.

htop Command-Line Options

Htop accepts command-line flags that narrow the display to specific processes, adjust refresh rates, or run non-interactively for scripted workflows.

Monitor Specific Processes

Track specific process IDs without distraction from other system activity:

htop -p 1234,5678,91011

Replace the numbers with actual PIDs you want to monitor. This narrows the display to only those processes, which is useful when debugging specific applications.

Adjust Update Frequency

By default, htop refreshes every second. Reduce CPU overhead on resource-constrained systems by slowing the update rate:

htop -d 30

The -d flag sets the delay in tenths of seconds. In this case, the example updates every 3 seconds instead of every second.

Use htop in Scripts

Run htop non-interactively to capture process snapshots:

htop --no-mouse --readonly -n 1

The --readonly flag prevents accidental process modifications, while -n 1 (or --max-iterations=1) exits after one iteration. You can then combine these flags with output redirection for automated monitoring scripts.

Uninstall htop from Ubuntu

Uninstall htop using the same method you used for installation.

Uninstall htop (APT)

If you installed htop via APT, remove it along with any unused dependencies:

sudo apt remove htop && sudo apt autoremove

Verify the removal:

htop --version

bash: htop: command not found

Uninstall htop (Snap)

If you installed htop via Snap:

sudo snap remove htop

User-specific htop settings are stored in ~/.config/htop/htoprc and persist after uninstallation. Remove this directory manually if you want to clear customized color schemes, column layouts, or meter configurations.

Troubleshoot Common htop Issues

Most htop installations complete without issues, but the following solutions address common problems.

Package Not Found Error

If APT reports that htop is unavailable, your package cache may be outdated:

E: Unable to locate package htop

To resolve this, update the package cache and retry:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install htop

Then verify the installation succeeded:

htop --version

htop 3.4.1

Terminal Display Issues

If htop displays garbled characters or incorrect colors, your terminal may lack proper Unicode or 256-color support. Test with the no-color mode:

htop --no-color

If monochrome mode works correctly, consider switching to a modern terminal emulator that supports full UTF-8 and color rendering. Meanwhile, check your current terminal capabilities:

echo $TERM

xterm-256color

Modern terminals report xterm-256color or similar. If your terminal reports xterm or linux, consider upgrading to a terminal like GNOME Terminal, Konsole, or Terminator.

Permission Denied When Changing Process Priority

Regular users can only adjust nice values for their own processes within restricted ranges. To modify system processes or increase priority (lower nice values), run htop with elevated privileges:

sudo htop

Verify you can adjust priority by selecting a process and pressing F7 or F8. The nice value should now change without permission errors.

Incorrect CPU Count on Virtual Machines

Virtual machines sometimes report incorrect CPU topology in htop. If you see more cores than your VM actually has, this reflects the host’s physical CPU configuration rather than your VM’s allocation. The CPU usage percentages remain accurate even if the core count appears wrong.

Slow Process List Updates

If htop feels sluggish or lags behind actual system activity, increase the update frequency:

htop -d 5

This updates every 0.5 seconds instead of the default 1 second. Watch the CPU meter in htop itself. If the update frequency causes noticeable CPU spikes, increase the delay value. Faster updates consume more resources, so only use shorter intervals when you need real-time precision for active troubleshooting.

Conclusion

You now have htop installed on Ubuntu and can identify resource-hungry processes, terminate frozen applications with F9, and filter by user or application name with F4. Press F2 to customize meters and save your preferred layout. For remote server monitoring, install SSH on Ubuntu and run htop over secure connections to diagnose performance issues from anywhere.