ps: Process table

In ps: List, Query, Manipulate System Processes

Process table

Description

Data frame with the currently running processes.

Usage

ps(user = NULL, after = NULL, columns = NULL)

Arguments

user	Username, to filter the results to matching processes.
after	Start time (POSIXt), to filter the results to processes that started after this.
columns	Columns to include in the result. If NULL (the default), then a default set of columns are returned, see below. The columns are shown in the same order they are specified in columns, but each column is included at most once. Use "*" to include all possible columns, and prefix a column name with - to remove it.

Details

Columns shown by default, if columns is not given or NULL:

• pid: Process ID.

• ppid: Process ID of parent process.

• name: Process name.

• username: Name of the user (real uid on POSIX).

• status: I.e. running, sleeping, etc.

• user: User CPU time.

• system: System CPU time.

• rss: Resident set size, the amount of memory the process currently uses. Does not include memory that is swapped out. It does include shared libraries.

• vms: Virtual memory size. All memory the process has access to.

• created: Time stamp when the process was created.

• ps_handle: ps_handle objects, in a list column.

Additional columns that can be requested via columns:

• cmdline: Command line, in a single string, from ps_cmdline().

• vcmdline: Like cmdline, but each command line argument in a separate string.

• cwd: Current working directory, from ps_cwd().

• exe: Path of the executable of the process, from ps_exe().

• num_fds: Number of open file descriptors, from ps_num_fds().

• num_threads: Number of threads, from ps_num_threads().

• cpu_children_user: See ps_cpu_times().

• cpu_children_system: See ps_cpu_times().

• terminal: Terminal device, from ps_terminal().

• uid_real: Real user id, from ps_uids().

• uid_effective: Effective user id, from ps_uids().

• uid_saved: Saved user id, from ps_uids().

• gid_real: Real group id, from ps_gids().

• gid_effective: Effective group id, from ps_gids().

• gid_saved: Saved group id, from ps_gids().

• mem_shared: See ps_memory_info().

• mem_text: See ps_memory_info().

• mem_data: See ps_memory_info().

• mem_lib: See ps_memory_info().

• mem_dirty: See ps_memory_info().

• mem_pfaults: See ps_memory_info().

• mem_pageins: See ps_memory_info().

• mem_maxrss: See ps_memory_full_info().

• mem_uss: See ps_memory_full_info().

• mem_pss: See ps_memory_full_info().

• mem_swap: See ps_memory_full_info().

Use "*" in columns to include all columns.

Processes for which a handle cannot be created (e.g. due to insufficient permissions, or because the process exited between enumeration and handle creation) are silently omitted from the result. This means ps() may return fewer processes than system tools such as tasklist on Windows.

Value

Data frame, see columns below.

ps documentation built on April 20, 2026, 5:07 p.m.