Whether you’re installing iotop for the first time or troubleshooting why it isn’t working, you’ll find the exact command for your distro below.<\/p>\n
What Is iotop?<\/strong><\/h3>\niotop is a Linux command-line tool that monitors disk I\/O (input\/output) usage in real time, broken down by process. It works similarly to top, which monitors CPU and memory, but focuses specifically on which processes are reading from and writing to disk.<\/p>\n
iotop is essential for diagnosing:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Processes causing unexpectedly high disk usage on a server<\/li>\n
- Applications performing excessive read\/write operations<\/li>\n
- Slow server performance caused by disk I\/O bottlenecks<\/li>\n
- Runaway processes writing large amounts of data to disk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Install iotop on all Linux Distributions<\/strong><\/h3>\nSelect your Linux distribution below. iotop is available in the default repositories of all major distros, so no third-party sources are needed.<\/p>\n
\n\n\nUbuntu<\/span> Ubuntu 20.04 \/ 22.04 \/ 24.04<\/span><\/div>\n# Update package list<\/span>\r\nsudo apt update\r\n# Install iotop<\/span>\r\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nDebian<\/span> Debian 10 \/ 11 \/ 12<\/span><\/div>\n# Update and install<\/span>\r\nsudo apt update\r\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nLinux Mint<\/span> Linux Mint 20 \/ 21<\/span><\/div>\n# Same as Ubuntu (apt-based)<\/span>\r\nsudo apt update\r\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nFedora<\/span> Fedora 38 \/ 39 \/ 40 \/ 41<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using DNF<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop -y\r\n# Or the maintained fork<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop-c -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nCentOS \/ RHEL 7<\/span> CentOS 7 \u00b7 RHEL 7<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using YUM<\/span>\r\nsudo yum install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nCentOS \/ RHEL 8+<\/span> CentOS 8+ \u00b7 RHEL 8+ \u00b7 Rocky \u00b7 AlmaLinux<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using DNF<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nArch Linux<\/span> Arch Linux \u00b7 Manjaro<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using pacman<\/span>\r\nsudo pacman -S iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nopenSUSE<\/span> openSUSE Leap \/ Tumbleweed<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using zypper<\/span>\r\nsudo zypper install iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/h3>\nVerify installation<\/strong><\/h4>\nAfter installing, confirm iotop is available by checking its version:<\/p>\n
\nBash<\/span><\/div>\n\niotop<\/span> --version\r\niotop 0.6<\/span><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIf you get iotop: command not found<\/code> after installing, see the troubleshooting section below. The most common cause is that the install completed but the shell needs to be refreshed, or iotop was installed as iotop-c<\/code> on newer Fedora systems.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nInstall iotop on Fedora (Full Guide)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\nFedora uses the DNF package manager. iotop is available in Fedora’s default repositories; no extra configuration or EPEL setup needed.<\/p>\n
1. Open a terminal and ensure you have sudo privileges or are logged in as root.<\/p>\n
2. Install iotop using DNF:<\/p>\n
![\"DNF\"](\"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/DNF.png\")
<\/p>\n
3. Run iotop to confirm it works:<\/p>\n
![\"Run\"](\"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Run-Itop.png\")
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Is iotop pre-installed on Fedora?<\/strong><\/h4>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
No. iotop is not included in Fedora’s default installation. It must be installed manually using DNF. This applies to all Fedora versions, including Fedora 38, 39, 40, and 41, as well as both Fedora Workstation and Fedora Server editions.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nInstall iotop on Fedora 40 \/ 41 specifically<\/strong><\/h4>\nOn Fedora 40 and later, you can install either the original iotop or the maintained C rewrite iotop-c. Both are in the default Fedora repositories:<\/p>\n
![\"itop](\"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/itop-on-feddora.png\")
<\/p>\n
What Is iotop-c? Original vs Maintained Fork<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you’ve searched for iotop on Fedora and seen both\u00a0iotop<\/code>\u00a0and\u00a0iotop-c<\/code>\u00a0as package options, here’s the difference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nFeature<\/span><\/th>\n iotop (original)<\/span><\/th>\n iotop-c (fork)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n\nLanguage<\/strong><\/td>\nPython<\/td>\n C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nMaintenance<\/strong><\/td>\nNo longer active<\/span><\/td>\n Actively maintained<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nPerformance<\/strong><\/td>\nSlower (Python overhead)<\/td>\n Faster, lower resource use<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nCommands<\/strong><\/td>\niotop<\/code><\/td>\niotop-c<\/code>\u00a0or\u00a0iotop<\/code>\u00a0(aliased)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nFedora package<\/strong><\/td>\ndnf install iotop<\/code><\/td>\ndnf install iotop-c<\/code><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nUbuntu\/Debian<\/strong><\/td>\napt install iotop<\/code><\/td>\nNot in default apt repos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nRecommended?<\/strong><\/td>\nStill works<\/span><\/td>\n Yes, on Fedora 36+<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nFor Ubuntu and Debian users: stick with apt install iotop. For Fedora users: sudo dnf install iotop-c is the better long-term choice, but either works.<\/p>\n
How to Use iotop<\/strong><\/h3>\nOnce installed, iotop is run from the terminal. It requires root privileges to access per-process I\/O data from the kernel.<\/p>\n
Basic usage<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"itop](\"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/itop-cmd.png\")
<\/p>\n
Common usage examples<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Common](\"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Common-usage-examples.png\")
<\/p>\n
Interactive keyboard shortcuts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWhile iotop is running, use these keyboard shortcuts to control the display:<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\nKey<\/span><\/th>\n Action<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n\no<\/td>\n Toggle \u2014 show only processes with active I\/O<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \na<\/td>\n Toggle \u2014 switch between current and accumulated I\/O<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nr<\/td>\n Reverse sort order<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\u2190 \u2192<\/td>\n Change the column being sorted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \ni<\/td>\n Change I\/O priority of a process<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nu<\/td>\n Filter by user<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \np<\/td>\n Filter by process name<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nq<\/td>\n Quit iotop<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nTroubleshooting: Fix Common iotop Errors<\/strong><\/h4>\n\niotop: command not found<\/strong><\/h5>\nCause:<\/strong>\u00a0iotop is not installed, or was installed as\u00a0iotop-c<\/code>\u00a0on Fedora.<\/div>\n\nFix Ubuntu\/Debian:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFix Fedora:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n# Try iotop-c if iotop is not found<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop-c -y\r\n# Then run with:<\/span>\r\nsudo iotop-c<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFix if installed but still not found:<\/strong>\u00a0Close and reopen your terminal, or run\u00a0hash -r<\/code>\u00a0to refresh the shell’s command cache.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\niotop: Permission denied \/ must be run as root<\/strong><\/h5>\n\nCause:<\/strong> iotop was run without root privileges. It needs access to kernel I\/O statistics, which requires root access.<\/p>\nFix:<\/strong>\u00a0Always run iotop with\u00a0sudo<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\nsudo iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\nCouldn’t run iotop \u2014 Linux kernel too old<\/strong><\/h5>\n\nCause:<\/strong>\u00a0iotop requires Linux kernel 2.6.20 or later (with the\u00a0CONFIG_TASK_IO_ACCOUNTING<\/code>\u00a0option enabled). This is present in all modern kernels but may be missing on older or custom-built kernels.<\/p>\nFix:<\/strong>\u00a0Check your kernel version with\u00a0uname -r<\/code>. If it is below 2.6.20 or is a custom kernel, update your kernel or enable the task I\/O accounting option during compilation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\nNo processes appear \/ blank output<\/strong><\/h5>\n\nCause:<\/strong> By default, iotop shows all processes, including idle ones. If disk activity is very low, the list may appear empty or show zeros.<\/p>\nFix:<\/strong>\u00a0Use the\u00a0-o<\/code>\u00a0flag to show only processes actively performing I\/O:<\/p>\n\n\nsudo iotop -o<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\nsudo: iotop: command not found (even after installing)<\/strong><\/h5>\n\nCause:<\/strong>\u00a0sudo<\/code>\u00a0uses a restricted PATH that may not include the directory where iotop was installed (commonly\u00a0\/usr\/sbin<\/code>).<\/p>\nFix:<\/strong>\u00a0Use the full path:<\/p>\n\n\n# Find where iotop is installed<\/span>\r\nwhich iotop\r\n# Run with full path<\/span>\r\nsudo \/usr\/sbin\/iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/h4>\nComparison iotop vs atop vs btop \u2014 Which Should You Use?<\/strong><\/h4>\niotop isn’t the only Linux monitoring tool. Here’s how it compares to other popular options so you can choose the right tool for your situation.<\/p>\n
\n\n\nTool<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\nPrimary focus<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\nDisk I\/O<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\nCPU \/ RAM<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\nNetwork<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\n
- \n
- Processes causing unexpectedly high disk usage on a server<\/li>\n
- Applications performing excessive read\/write operations<\/li>\n
- Slow server performance caused by disk I\/O bottlenecks<\/li>\n
- Runaway processes writing large amounts of data to disk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Install iotop on all Linux Distributions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Select your Linux distribution below. iotop is available in the default repositories of all major distros, so no third-party sources are needed.<\/p>\n
\n\n\nUbuntu<\/span> Ubuntu 20.04 \/ 22.04 \/ 24.04<\/span><\/div>\n# Update package list<\/span>\r\nsudo apt update\r\n# Install iotop<\/span>\r\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nDebian<\/span> Debian 10 \/ 11 \/ 12<\/span><\/div>\n# Update and install<\/span>\r\nsudo apt update\r\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nLinux Mint<\/span> Linux Mint 20 \/ 21<\/span><\/div>\n# Same as Ubuntu (apt-based)<\/span>\r\nsudo apt update\r\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nFedora<\/span> Fedora 38 \/ 39 \/ 40 \/ 41<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using DNF<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop -y\r\n# Or the maintained fork<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop-c -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nCentOS \/ RHEL 7<\/span> CentOS 7 \u00b7 RHEL 7<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using YUM<\/span>\r\nsudo yum install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nCentOS \/ RHEL 8+<\/span> CentOS 8+ \u00b7 RHEL 8+ \u00b7 Rocky \u00b7 AlmaLinux<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using DNF<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nArch Linux<\/span> Arch Linux \u00b7 Manjaro<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using pacman<\/span>\r\nsudo pacman -S iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\nopenSUSE<\/span> openSUSE Leap \/ Tumbleweed<\/span><\/div>\n# Install using zypper<\/span>\r\nsudo zypper install iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/h3>\n
Verify installation<\/strong><\/h4>\n
After installing, confirm iotop is available by checking its version:<\/p>\n
\nBash<\/span><\/div>\n\niotop<\/span> --version\r\niotop 0.6<\/span><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIf you getiotop: command not found<\/code> after installing, see the troubleshooting section below. The most common cause is that the install completed but the shell needs to be refreshed, or iotop was installed asiotop-c<\/code> on newer Fedora systems.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nInstall iotop on Fedora (Full Guide)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nFedora uses the DNF package manager. iotop is available in Fedora’s default repositories; no extra configuration or EPEL setup needed.<\/p>\n
1. Open a terminal and ensure you have sudo privileges or are logged in as root.<\/p>\n
2. Install iotop using DNF:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n3. Run iotop to confirm it works:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Is iotop pre-installed on Fedora?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
No. iotop is not included in Fedora’s default installation. It must be installed manually using DNF. This applies to all Fedora versions, including Fedora 38, 39, 40, and 41, as well as both Fedora Workstation and Fedora Server editions.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nInstall iotop on Fedora 40 \/ 41 specifically<\/strong><\/h4>\n
On Fedora 40 and later, you can install either the original iotop or the maintained C rewrite iotop-c. Both are in the default Fedora repositories:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nWhat Is iotop-c? Original vs Maintained Fork<\/strong><\/h3>\n
If you’ve searched for iotop on Fedora and seen both\u00a0
iotop<\/code>\u00a0and\u00a0iotop-c<\/code>\u00a0as package options, here’s the difference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Feature<\/span><\/th>\n iotop (original)<\/span><\/th>\n iotop-c (fork)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n \n Language<\/strong><\/td>\n Python<\/td>\n C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Maintenance<\/strong><\/td>\n No longer active<\/span><\/td>\n Actively maintained<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Performance<\/strong><\/td>\n Slower (Python overhead)<\/td>\n Faster, lower resource use<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Commands<\/strong><\/td>\n iotop<\/code><\/td>\niotop-c<\/code>\u00a0or\u00a0iotop<\/code>\u00a0(aliased)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n Fedora package<\/strong><\/td>\n dnf install iotop<\/code><\/td>\ndnf install iotop-c<\/code><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n Ubuntu\/Debian<\/strong><\/td>\n apt install iotop<\/code><\/td>\nNot in default apt repos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Recommended?<\/strong><\/td>\n Still works<\/span><\/td>\n Yes, on Fedora 36+<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n For Ubuntu and Debian users: stick with apt install iotop. For Fedora users: sudo dnf install iotop-c is the better long-term choice, but either works.<\/p>\n
How to Use iotop<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Once installed, iotop is run from the terminal. It requires root privileges to access per-process I\/O data from the kernel.<\/p>\n
Basic usage<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\nCommon usage examples<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\nInteractive keyboard shortcuts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
While iotop is running, use these keyboard shortcuts to control the display:<\/p>\n
\n\n\n
\n Key<\/span><\/th>\n Action<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n \n o<\/td>\n Toggle \u2014 show only processes with active I\/O<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n a<\/td>\n Toggle \u2014 switch between current and accumulated I\/O<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n r<\/td>\n Reverse sort order<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n \u2190 \u2192<\/td>\n Change the column being sorted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n i<\/td>\n Change I\/O priority of a process<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n u<\/td>\n Filter by user<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n p<\/td>\n Filter by process name<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n q<\/td>\n Quit iotop<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Troubleshooting: Fix Common iotop Errors<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\niotop: command not found<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Cause:<\/strong>\u00a0iotop is not installed, or was installed as\u00a0iotop-c<\/code>\u00a0on Fedora.<\/div>\n\nFix Ubuntu\/Debian:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\nsudo apt install iotop -y<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Fix Fedora:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\n# Try iotop-c if iotop is not found<\/span>\r\nsudo dnf install iotop-c -y\r\n# Then run with:<\/span>\r\nsudo iotop-c<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFix if installed but still not found:<\/strong>\u00a0Close and reopen your terminal, or run\u00a0
hash -r<\/code>\u00a0to refresh the shell’s command cache.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\niotop: Permission denied \/ must be run as root<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\nCause:<\/strong> iotop was run without root privileges. It needs access to kernel I\/O statistics, which requires root access.<\/p>\n
Fix:<\/strong>\u00a0Always run iotop with\u00a0
sudo<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\nsudo iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\nCouldn’t run iotop \u2014 Linux kernel too old<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\nCause:<\/strong>\u00a0iotop requires Linux kernel 2.6.20 or later (with the\u00a0
CONFIG_TASK_IO_ACCOUNTING<\/code>\u00a0option enabled). This is present in all modern kernels but may be missing on older or custom-built kernels.<\/p>\nFix:<\/strong>\u00a0Check your kernel version with\u00a0
uname -r<\/code>. If it is below 2.6.20 or is a custom kernel, update your kernel or enable the task I\/O accounting option during compilation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\nNo processes appear \/ blank output<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\nCause:<\/strong> By default, iotop shows all processes, including idle ones. If disk activity is very low, the list may appear empty or show zeros.<\/p>\n
Fix:<\/strong>\u00a0Use the\u00a0
-o<\/code>\u00a0flag to show only processes actively performing I\/O:<\/p>\n\n\nsudo iotop -o<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\nsudo: iotop: command not found (even after installing)<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\nCause:<\/strong>\u00a0
sudo<\/code>\u00a0uses a restricted PATH that may not include the directory where iotop was installed (commonly\u00a0\/usr\/sbin<\/code>).<\/p>\nFix:<\/strong>\u00a0Use the full path:<\/p>\n
\n\n# Find where iotop is installed<\/span>\r\nwhich iotop\r\n# Run with full path<\/span>\r\nsudo \/usr\/sbin\/iotop<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/h4>\n
Comparison iotop vs atop vs btop \u2014 Which Should You Use?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
iotop isn’t the only Linux monitoring tool. Here’s how it compares to other popular options so you can choose the right tool for your situation.<\/p>\n
\n\n
\n Tool<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\n Primary focus<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\n Disk I\/O<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\n CPU \/ RAM<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\n Network<\/strong><\/span><\/th>\n