---
name: "lastcomm"
section: "1"
platform: "macos"
package: "shell_cmds"
version: "329"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/lastcomm"
---

# lastcomm(1)

show last commands executed in reverse order

## NAME

**lastcomm** – show last commands executed in reverse order

## SYNOPSIS

**lastcomm** \[**-w**\] \[**-f** *file*\] \[*command* *...*\] \[*user* *...*\] \[*terminal* *...*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**lastcomm** gives information on previously executed commands. With no arguments, **lastcomm** prints information about all the commands recorded during the current accounting file's lifetime.

Option:

- **-f** *file*

  Read from *file* rather than the default accounting file.

- **-w**

  Use as many columns as needed to print the output instead of limiting it to 80. This is the default behavior on Apple systems.

If called with arguments, only accounting entries with a matching *command* name, *user* name, or *terminal* name are printed. So, for example:

```
lastcomm a.out root ttyd0
```

would produce a listing of all the executions of commands named *a.out* by user *root* on the terminal *ttyd0*.

For each process entry, the following are printed.

- The name of the user who ran the process.

- Flags, as accumulated by the accounting facilities in the system.

- The command name under which the process was called.

- The amount of cpu time used by the process (in seconds).

- The time the process started.

- The elapsed time of the process.

The flags are encoded as follows: “S” indicates the command was executed by the super-user, “F” indicates the command ran after a fork, but without a following [exec(3)](/exec/3.md), “C” indicates the command was run in PDP-11 compatibility mode (VAX only), “D” indicates the command terminated with the generation of a *core* file, and “X” indicates the command was terminated with a signal.

## FILES

- */var/account/acct*

  Default accounting file.

## SEE ALSO

[last(1)](/last/1.md), [sigaction(2)](/sigaction/2.md), [acct(5)](/acct/5.md), [core(5)](/core/5.md)

## HISTORY

The **lastcomm** command appeared in 3.0BSD.