How to Save Column Layout Changes in htop?

The htop interactive process viewer allows users to fully customize their system monitoring interface, including adding, removing, and reordering columns. To save changes made to the column layout in the htop setup menu, you must navigate using the arrow keys to configure your desired setup and then press the F10 key to save and exit. This writes the configuration directly to your local user settings file, ensuring that your personalized layout persists the next time you launch the utility.

Accessing the Setup Menu

To begin customizing your layout, open htop in your terminal and press F2 (or S on some configurations) to enter the Setup menu. This screen is divided into distinct columns to help you navigate options easily:

• Meters: Controls the top display bars (CPU, Memory, Swap, etc.).
• Display options: Toggles various visual and behavioral settings.
• Colors: Allows you to change the interface color scheme.
• Columns: The specific section dedicated to managing the process table layout.

Configuring Your Columns

Using the arrow keys, move down to highlight Columns in the leftmost menu, then press the right arrow key to move into the Available Columns and Active Columns sections.

• To add a column, scroll through the “Available Columns” list, select the metric you want, and press F5 or Enter.
• To remove an existing column, highlight it under the “Active Columns” list and press F9 or Delete.
• To reorder your active columns, highlight the metric you wish to move and use F7 to move it up (left in the main view) or F8 to move it down (right in the main view).

Saving Your Configuration

Once the “Active Columns” list matches your preferences, do not simply close your terminal or press Ctrl + C, as this will discard your changes.

To permanently save your layout, press F10 (or Esc). This action triggers htop to update its configuration file, typically located at ~/.config/htop/htoprc. The menu will close, and your terminal will immediately display the process viewer with your newly customized column arrangement intact for all future sessions.