---
name: "progress"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "progress"
version: "0.17-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/progress"
---

# progress(1)

Coreutils Progress Viewer

## NAME

progress - Coreutils Progress Viewer

## SYNOPSIS

**progress** \[ **-qdwmM** \] \[ **-W** *secs* \] \[ **-c** *command* \] \[ **-a** *command* \] \[ **-p** *pid* \]\
 **progress -v** \| **--version**\
 **progress -h** \| **--help**\

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page briefly documents the **progress** command.

This tool can be described as a Tiny, Dirty, C command that looks for coreutils basic commands (cp, mv, dd, tar, gzip/gunzip, cat, etc.) currently running on your system and displays the percentage of copied data.

It can now also estimate throughput (using flag **-w**).

## OPTIONS

- **-q (--quiet)**

  hides all messages

- **-d (--debug)**

  shows all warning/error messages

- **-w (--wait)**

  estimate I/O throughput and estimated remaining time (slower display)

- **-W (--wait-delay secs)**

  wait 'secs' seconds for I/O estimation (implies **-w**)

- **-m (--monitor)**

  loop while monitored processes are still running

- **-M (--monitor-continuously)**

  like monitor but never stop (similar to **watch progress**)

- **-c (--command cmd)**

  monitor only this command name (ex: firefox). This option can be used multiple times on the command line.

- **-a (--additional-command cmd)**

  add this command to the default list. This option can be used multiple times on the command line.

- **-p (--pid id)**

  monitor only this numeric process ID (ex: \`pidof firefox\`). This option can be used multiple times on the command line.

- **-i (--ignore-file file)**

  do not report a process for 'file'. If the file does not exist yet, you must give a full and clean absolute path. This option can be used multiple times on the command line.

- **-o (--open-mode {r\|w})**

  report only files opened for read or write by the process. This option is useful when you want to monitor only output files (or input ones) of a process.

- **-v (--version)**

  show program version and exit

- **-h (--help)**

  display help message and exit

## ENVIRONMENT

It's possible to give permanent options using PROGRESS\_ARGS environment variable. See example below. Command line arguments take precedence over environment.

## EXAMPLES

Continuously monitor all current and upcoming instances of coreutils commands

**watch progress -q**

See how your download is progressing

**watch progress -wc firefox**

Look at your Web server activity

**progress -c httpd**

Launch and monitor any heavy command using $!

**cp bigfile newfile & progress -mp $!**

Use environment variable to set permanent (multiple) arguments

**export PROGRESS\_ARGS='-M --ignore-file ~/.xsession-errors'**

## BUGS

Please report bugs at: http://github.com/Xfennec/progress/issues

## HOMEPAGE

http://github.com/Xfennec/progress

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Thomas Zimmermann \<bugs@vdm-design.de\>, for the openSUSE project (and may be used by others).