---
name: "tload"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "procps-ng"
version: "4.0.7-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/tload"
---

# tload(1)

graphic representation of system load average

## NAME

tload - graphic representation of system load average

## SYNOPSIS

**tload** \[*option* ...\] \[*tty*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**tload** prints a graph of the current system load average to the specified *tty* (or the tty of the **tload** process if none is specified).

## OPTIONS

- **-s**, **--scale** *number*

  The scale option allows a vertical scale to be specified for the display (in characters between graph ticks); thus, a smaller value represents a larger scale, and vice versa.

- **-d**, **--delay** *seconds*

  The delay sets the delay between graph updates in *seconds*.

- **-h**, **--help**

  Display this help text.

- **-V**, **--version**

  Display version information and exit.

## FILES

*/proc/loadavg* load average information

## SEE ALSO

[**ps**(1)](/ps/1.md), [**top**(1)](/top/1.md), [**uptime**(1)](/uptime/1.md), [**w**(1)](/w/1.md)

## BUGS

The **-d** *delay* option sets the time argument for an [**alarm**(2)](/alarm/2.md); if -d 0 is specified, the alarm is set to 0, which will never send the **SIGALRM** and update the display.

## AUTHORS

Branko Lankester, David Engel ⟨david@\\:ods.\\:com⟩, and Michael K. Johnson ⟨johnsonm@\\:redhat.\\:com⟩.

## REPORTING BUGS

Please send bug reports to ⟨procps@freelists.org⟩.