Configure htop to Start in Specific View Mode on Ubuntu

This article provides a concise guide on customizing the htop process viewer within the Ubuntu operating system. It details the steps required to set a specific view mode, such as tree view or standard list, as the default startup state. Readers will learn how to save these preferences permanently so that htop launches with the desired configuration every time.

Yes, htop can be configured to start in a specific view mode on Ubuntu. The application saves your current settings to a configuration file when you exit properly. To set a default view, launch htop by typing htop in the terminal. Press the F2 key to enter the Setup menu. Navigate to the “Display options” section. Here, you can toggle settings like “Tree view” by pressing the spacebar or selecting the appropriate option.

Once you have arranged the columns, colors, and view mode to your liking, press F10 to quit htop. This action automatically writes the current configuration to the htoprc file located in ~/.config/htop/. The next time you start htop, it will load these saved settings automatically. If you prefer editing the file directly, open ~/.config/htop/htoprc in a text editor and set tree_view=1 for enabled or tree_view=0 for disabled. Save the file and ensure the permissions allow you to read it. This ensures your preferred monitoring view is active immediately upon launch without manual adjustment.