Process Management
renice
Alter the scheduling priority of running processes.
Synopsis
syntax
renice [OPTION]... PRIORITY [PID|PGRP|USER]...
Examples
Lower priority of process 1234
renice -n 10 -p 1234
Raise priority (requires root)
renice -n -5 -p 1234
Set all user's processes to lowest priority
sudo renice -n 19 -u background_user
Common options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| -n | Priority adjustment value |
| -p | Apply to process IDs |
| -g | Apply to process groups |
| -u | Apply to all processes by user |
About renice
The `renice` command alter the scheduling priority of running processes. Process management commands let you monitor, control, and schedule running processes.
Linux is a multitasking operating system, and understanding how to list processes, send signals, adjust priorities, and manage background jobs is vital for system administration and debugging performance issues. The command accepts 4 commonly used flags shown above, though the full set of options is available in the man page (`man renice`).
The 3 examples on this page cover typical real-world usage patterns that you can copy and adapt for your own workflows.
Related commands
More Process Management Commands
Other commands in the Process Management category