How to Install ps Command on Mac

If you’re using a Mac and trying to utilize the ps command for system monitoring or process management, you may encounter a situation where the command is not found. This can happen because macOS does not include the ps command by default.

Solution

To install the ps command on your Mac, you can use the following alternative:

1. Open Terminal on your Mac.
2. Enter the following command to install the procps-ng package using Homebrew:

brew install procps

3. After the installation is complete, you should now be able to use the ps command on your Mac for system monitoring purposes.

About the ps Command

The ps command on Unix-like operating systems is used to display information about running processes. It provides a snapshot of the currently running processes, their status, and resource usage.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined above, you can easily install and use the ps command on your Mac for system monitoring and process management. Keep in mind that using Homebrew to install packages on macOS can help you access a wide range of command-line tools and utilities not included by default.