Windows PowerShell Get-Process equivalent in Linux
Lists running processes or searches for processes by name.
PowerShell Get-Process
ps aux
ps aux
ps aux
Overview
What this command does
On Windows, "PowerShell Get-Process" is used to find running processes. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "ps aux". Lists running processes or searches for processes by name. This reference is grouped under PowerShell Equivalents → Processes.
Windows → Linux context
What changes when you use this on Linux?
Equivalent task, different tool
Windows PowerShell Get-Process maps to ps aux for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.
Portable across the compared distros
The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows use the same command in this mapping. Package availability or defaults can still vary, so check the installed tool version when an option behaves differently.
For the broader concept behind this mapping, read PowerShell vs Bash.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Find running processes
Lists running processes or searches for processes by name.
ps aux
List all processes
pgrep -a firefox
Find Firefox processes with arguments
ps -eo pid,user,%cpu,%mem,comm --sort=-%cpu
Sort by CPU usage
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
ps aux
pgrep -a firefox
ps -eo pid,user,%cpu,%mem,comm --sort=-%cpu
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
ps aux # list all running processes
pgrep -a firefox # find processes by name
ps -eo pid,user,%cpu,%mem,comm --sort=-%cpu # show the highest CPU users firstReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
ps aux | List all processes |
pgrep -a firefox | Find Firefox processes with arguments |
ps -eo pid,user,%cpu,%mem,comm --sort=-%cpu | Sort by CPU usage |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "ps aux" for this mapping. The command syntax shown here is portable across the three rows, although installed versions and system defaults can still vary.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | ps aux |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | ps aux |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | ps aux |
Same command on this distribution. |
Keep learning