---
name: "proc_pid_exe"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "man-pages"
version: "6.19-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/proc_pid_exe"
---

# proc\_pid\_exe(5)

symbolic link to program pathname

## NAME

/proc/pid/exe - symbolic link to program pathname

## DESCRIPTION

- */proc/*pid*/exe*

  Under Linux 2.2 and later, this file is a symbolic link containing the actual pathname of the executed command. This symbolic link can be dereferenced normally; attempting to open it will open the executable. You can even type */proc/*pid*/exe* to run another copy of the same executable that is being run by process *pid*. If the pathname has been unlinked, the symbolic link will contain the string ' (deleted)' appended to the original pathname. In a multithreaded process, the contents of this symbolic link are not available if the main thread has already terminated (typically by calling [**pthread\_exit**(3)](/pthread_exit/3.md)).

-

  Permission to dereference or read ([**readlink**(2)](/readlink/2.md)) this symbolic link is governed by a ptrace access mode **PTRACE\_MODE\_READ\_FSCREDS** check; see [**ptrace**(2)](/ptrace/2.md).

-

  Under Linux 2.0 and earlier, */proc/*pid*/exe* is a pointer to the binary which was executed, and appears as a symbolic link. A [**readlink**(2)](/readlink/2.md) call on this file under Linux 2.0 returns a string in the format:

-

  ```
  [device]:inode
  ```

-

  For example, \[0301\]:1502 would be inode 1502 on device major 03 (IDE, MFM, etc. drives) minor 01 (first partition on the first drive).

-

  [**find**(1)](/find/1.md) with the *-inum* option can be used to locate the file.

## SEE ALSO

[**proc**(5)](/proc/5.md)