How to Toggle Header Information in htop on Ubuntu

This article provides a quick guide on managing the header display within the htop process viewer on Ubuntu Linux. The header section contains summary graphs for CPU, memory, and swap usage, which can sometimes consume valuable vertical screen space. By following the steps below, you will learn how to instantly hide or show this information to customize your monitoring view.

Launch htop

Open your terminal and start the application by typing the following command:

htop

Ensure you have the tool installed via sudo apt install htop if it is not already present on your system.

Use the Toggle Shortcut

Once htop is running, press the H key on your keyboard. This requires holding the Shift key and pressing h. Pressing this key acts as a switch to immediately hide the header metrics if they are visible or restore them if they are hidden.

Verify the Change

Look at the top section of the interface. If the header was visible, the CPU and Memory bars will disappear, allowing the process list to move to the top of the screen. Press H again to bring the summary data back into view.