Linux · Memory & Performance

How to check memory and swap usage in Linux

Check RAM and swap usage with free -h and /proc/meminfo, and read the available column for what applications can really use.

Check how much memory and swap are in use. On free, read the available column (not free) for what applications can actually use, since Linux uses spare RAM for cache.

# Human-readable memory and swap
free -h

# Refresh every 2 seconds
free -h -s 2

# Full detail
cat /proc/meminfo

# Swap devices in use
swapon --show

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