How to View Process Working Directory in htop Ubuntu

This article explains how to determine the current working directory of a running process on Ubuntu using htop. While htop does not display this path directly within its interface, it is the most efficient tool for locating the specific Process ID required to retrieve the information. The steps below detail how to extract the PID from htop and use standard terminal commands to reveal the directory.

Identify the Process ID in htop

Launch htop in your terminal by typing htop and pressing Enter. Use the arrow keys to navigate through the list of running processes until you highlight the specific process you are investigating. Look at the PID column on the left side of the screen to find the Process ID number associated with that task. Note this number down or keep it in mind, then exit htop by pressing q or switch to a new terminal window while leaving htop running.

Retrieve the Directory Path

Open your terminal and use the Linux /proc filesystem to access the process details. Run the following command, replacing <PID> with the number you identified in htop:

ls -l /proc/<PID>/cwd

This command lists the symbolic link for the current working directory of the process. The output will show an arrow pointing to the absolute path, such as /home/user/projects. This path represents the directory from which the process was executed or where it is currently anchored.

Alternative Method Using pwdx

You can also use the pwdx command, which is designed specifically to print the current working directory of a process. This method is often faster to type and provides a cleaner output. Enter the following command in your terminal:

pwdx <PID>

The terminal will return the PID followed by the full path of the working directory. Both methods rely on the PID found in htop to accurately locate the directory information that htop does not show natively.