systemctl-list-units

List loaded units and their states

TLDR

List active units

$ systemctl list-units

List all units

$ systemctl list-units -a

Filter by type

$ systemctl list-units -t [service|socket|timer]

Filter by state

$ systemctl list-units --state [running|listening|dead]

Filter by pattern

$ systemctl list-units '[pattern*]'

Output without pager

$ systemctl list-units --no-pager

Output without headers

$ systemctl list-units --no-legend

List only failed units

$ systemctl list-units --failed

List units with full names (no ellipsis)

$ systemctl list-units --full

SYNOPSIS

systemctl list-units [OPTIONS] [PATTERN...]

systemctl list-units displays units that systemd currently has loaded in memory. By default, it shows units that are active, have pending jobs, or have failed.The output shows the unit name, load state, active state, sub-state, and description. This is the primary command for viewing current system state.

PARAMETERS

-a, --all

Include inactive units and units following other units

-t, --type= TYPE

Filter by unit type (comma-separated list, e.g., service, socket, timer)

--state= STATE

Filter by LOAD, SUB, or ACTIVE state (comma-separated list)

--failed

Show only failed units (equivalent to --state=failed)

-l, --full

Do not ellipsize unit names, descriptions, or other fields in the output

-r, --recursive

Also show units of local containers

--with-dependencies

Show specified units and their dependencies

--no-pager

Disable pager output

--no-legend

Suppress header and footer (useful for scripts)

OUTPUT COLUMNS

UNIT - Unit nameLOAD - Load state (loaded, not-found, error)ACTIVE - Active state (active, inactive, failed)SUB - Sub-state (running, exited, dead, listening)DESCRIPTION - Unit description

CAVEATS

Only shows currently loaded units. Use `list-unit-files` to see all installed units. Failed units remain visible until acknowledged with `systemctl reset-failed`.

HISTORY

The list-units subcommand is the primary status overview command in systemd, replacing various init script listing mechanisms.