Inspect logged-in users, their activity and system load with a single command. 27.05.2026 | reading time: 2 min The `w` command shows who is logged into the machine and what each session is doing; it also reports system uptime and load averages, making it a compact situational snapshot. Quick Live Example Run `w` on the shell to get output such as: ```bash $ w 10:15:32 up 3 days, 4:12, 2 users, load average: 0.08, 0.05, 0.01 USER TTY FROM LOGIN@ IDLE JCPU PCPU WHAT admin pts/0 198.51.100.23 09:50 2:15 0.10s 0.02s -bash ops pts/1 203.0.113.5 10:00 5:00 0.20s 0.05s sshd: ops [priv] ``` Reading the Columns The top line gives time, uptime, user count and load averages; the table shows USER, TTY, FROM, LOGIN@, IDLE, JCPU, PCPU and WHAT; JCPU is the CPU time consumed by all processes attached to that tty and PCPU is the CPU time for the current process, and you can pass a username to `w` to filter output to that user. Practical Uses and Caveats Use `w` when you want to spot interactive sessions, long idle terminals or processes tied to a login; remember the FROM field can be empty for local consoles and that on Linux `w` reads live data from /proc so its view is ephemeral and reflects current process state. Tools that Pair Well For quick comparisons and deeper inspection pair `w` with `who` for a terse login list, `uptime` for a single-line load summary, `ps` to inspect process details, and `last` to review historical logins when troubleshooting. Final Thought A quick glance with `w` often answers "who is here and what are they doing" — explore it, combine it with process tools, and keep learning to sharpen your Linux troubleshooting skills; consider certification pathways like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1 and intensive exam preparation at bitsandbytes.academy. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. utilities processes network troubleshooting
