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btop exposes all three controls you need—box layout, color output, and refresh timing—in its options interface and in the persistent btop.conf file. Use presets and shown_boxes for the dashboard structure, color_theme plus the color-mode settings for appearance, and update_ms for the refresh interval.
The configuration and log directory is $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/btop when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is set. If it is not set, btop uses $HOME/.config/btop. The project documents these settings in its README and startup switches in its man page.
Choose between the options screen and btop.conf
btop’s built-in options interface can change every configuration option, so it is the safest starting point when you are learning the names and ranges. Once you know the setting you want, editing btop.conf is useful for repeatable setups, dotfile management, or applying several changes at once.
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printf '%sn' "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/btop"That path is also where btop keeps its log files. A typical configuration file is named btop.conf inside the directory. Before making manual edits, close btop and make a backup:
cp "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/btop/btop.conf" "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/btop/btop.conf.backup"If the file does not exist yet, open btop, change an option in its interface, and let btop create its configuration. The exact keyboard shortcut for opening the options view can vary with the release and is shown in btop’s on-screen help.
Arrange the dashboard with presets
A preset describes the arrangement of btop’s boxes. The presets setting contains one or more definitions, and btop selects one definition when it starts. The upstream configuration comments define each box entry as box_name:P:G: the box name identifies the panel, P selects one of two alternate positions, and G selects the graph symbol. Preset definitions are separated by whitespace, while the entries inside a definition are comma-separated.
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Preset 0 is special: it always displays all boxes with the default settings. It is a reliable fallback when an experimental arrangement makes a panel hard to find. The configuration supports up to nine additional presets, and the command-line selector accepts IDs from 0 through 9.
Switch presets at startup
Use -p or its long form, --preset, followed by an ID:
btop --preset 0
btop --preset 3The first command requests the built-in all-boxes arrangement. The second requests preset 3 from your configuration. A startup selection changes that run; it does not by itself rewrite the preset definitions in btop.conf.
Build or edit a preset definition
- Open
btop.confin a text editor after making a backup. - Locate the
presetssetting. Keep each box entry in the documentedbox_name:P:Gform. - Use the documented box name for every panel you want in an arrangement. Change the position field
Ponly between its two supported alternatives, and choose a graph symbol value supported by your btop version forG. - Separate entries in the same preset with commas and separate preset definitions with whitespace.
- Save the file, start btop with
--presetand the desired ID, and check that every panel appears where expected.
If you are unsure which graph symbol or position combination your release accepts, copy the existing commented example in your generated configuration and change one entry at a time. This avoids guessing at values that can differ between versions.
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Control which boxes appear with shown_boxes
presets controls arrangement; it is not the visibility switch. The separate shown_boxes option names the boxes that btop should display. Documented names include:
cpufor processor statisticsmemfor memory and swap informationnetfor network activityprocfor the process listgpu0throughgpu5for supported graphics devices
A minimal visibility line can therefore look like this:
shown_boxes = cpu mem net procTo show a GPU panel, add the corresponding name, such as gpu0, if btop detects that device. If a box is omitted from shown_boxes, rearranging presets cannot make it visible; add it to the visibility list first.
Presets and shown_boxes together
Think of the two settings as a two-stage filter. shown_boxes determines the available panels, and presets determines their positions and graph presentation. For example, you can keep a compact daily view by listing only CPU, memory, network, and processes, while retaining another preset that includes every detected GPU panel. When troubleshooting an empty area, check the visibility list before changing coordinates.
Choose a theme and terminal color mode
The color_theme setting selects a named theme. btop includes the built-in Default and TTY themes. The project also supports system and user theme directories, so installed theme files can be selected by name rather than copied into the main configuration file.
Select a built-in theme
Set the theme name in btop.conf:
color_theme = DefaultFor a terminal-oriented palette, use:
color_theme = TTYTheme names are case-sensitive in practice when they correspond to file names, so copy the spelling used by the available theme file. The btop README lists the search locations and the theme-file format.
Use a custom theme directory
For a one-run test, point btop at a directory containing your theme files:
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btop --themes-dir "$HOME/.config/btop/themes"The --themes-dir option takes priority over the default theme search paths. This is useful when you keep themes in a dotfiles repository or want to test a theme without installing it system-wide. The directory must contain theme files in btop’s expected format; selecting a name that is not present there will leave btop unable to load that custom palette.
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The project says btop uses the same theme files as bpytop and bashtop, but also notes that some color values are missing in bashtop themes. A theme may therefore load while still leaving some btop-specific colors at defaults. Do not assume that every bashtop theme exposes every btop feature.
Match color output to your terminal
Theme choice and color depth are separate decisions. A vivid theme can still look wrong when the terminal cannot display the colors it requests. btop’s documented modes are:
| Mode | How to select it | Terminal requirement | Graph behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-bit truecolor | truecolor = true (the default) |
A terminal with truecolor support | Uses the theme’s full 24-bit colors and provides the best visual fidelity |
| 256-color conversion | truecolor = false or the --low-color startup option |
A terminal that supports 256 colors | Converts 24-bit theme colors to the 256-color palette |
| 16-color TTY mode | The --tty startup option |
A basic TTY or similarly limited terminal | Uses 16 colors and TTY-friendly graph symbols |
Keep truecolor enabled when your terminal supports it:
truecolor = trueFor a persistent 256-color configuration, set:
truecolor = falseFor a temporary test, use:
btop --low-colorTTY mode is a stronger compatibility fallback:
btop --ttyUse --low-color when you want the normal interface with converted colors. Use --tty when both color count and graph glyph compatibility are concerns. The README describes 24-bit output as the best experience and 256-color terminals as supported through conversion; neither mode changes the underlying monitoring data.
Diagnose washed-out or unreadable colors
- Start btop without a custom theme and confirm that
Defaultis readable. - Run
btop --low-color. If readability improves, your terminal or connection is not handling truecolor correctly. - Run
btop --ttywhen working on a raw console, serial session, or terminal with unreliable line-drawing characters. - Only after the mode is correct, switch back to your custom
color_theme. This separates a theme-file problem from a terminal-capability problem.
Set the update interval with update_ms
update_ms is the refresh interval in milliseconds. The official configuration example uses 2000, and the project recommends 2000 milliseconds or more for better graph sample times.
update_ms = 2000That value requests a two-second interval because 1,000 milliseconds equals one second. A slower example is:
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update_ms = 5000which requests five seconds between updates. Choose a shorter interval when you need a more immediate view of changing processes or network activity; choose a longer interval when a steadier graph sample cadence is more useful. The documentation gives the 2000-millisecond recommendation but does not publish a benchmark showing a particular CPU or battery saving at any other value.
Try a refresh rate without editing the file
Use -u or --update followed by an interval in milliseconds for a one-run override:
btop --update 1000
btop --update 5000These commands let you compare a one-second and five-second cadence without changing the persistent configuration. To keep the chosen value for later launches, set update_ms in btop.conf or save the equivalent change through btop’s options interface.
Balance responsiveness and graph sampling
The interval applies to the dashboard refresh, so it affects how often values are redrawn and how frequently graph samples are collected. Very short intervals can make a graph look busy without adding useful historical detail. Starting at 2000 ms or above follows the project’s documented guidance; adjust from there based on whether you prioritize quick visual feedback or a less frequently sampled display.
Apply all three customizations in a controlled workflow
- Back up the configuration. Copy
btop.confbefore changing it so you can restore a known-good file. - Set visibility. Edit
shown_boxesand list only the panels you need, addinggpu0throughgpu5only for devices btop actually detects. - Define arrangements. Edit
presetsusing the documentedbox_name:P:Gentries. Keep preset 0 available as the all-boxes fallback. - Choose a palette. Set
color_themetoDefault,TTY, or an installed custom theme name. - Set color depth. Leave
truecolorenabled for a truecolor terminal; set it to false or use--low-colorfor 256-color output; use--ttyfor a 16-color TTY presentation. - Set timing. Put the desired millisecond value in
update_ms, or test a temporary value with--update. - Verify from a clean launch. Start btop with the intended preset and any temporary flags, then check panel visibility, graph symbols, color contrast, and refresh cadence.
Troubleshoot settings that appear to be ignored
The edited file is not the file btop reads
Recheck whether XDG_CONFIG_HOME is set. If it is, btop uses $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/btop; otherwise it uses $HOME/.config/btop. Editing a similarly named file under the other directory will not change the active configuration.
A command-line option overrides the file
Startup switches are intentional per-run overrides. A launch using --preset, --update, --low-color, --tty, or --themes-dir can therefore produce output different from the values in btop.conf. Remove the temporary switch when checking the persistent setup.
A panel is missing
Check shown_boxes first. A panel omitted there cannot appear through a preset. For GPU panels, verify that the corresponding numbered name is included and that btop detects the device.
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The layout loads but looks wrong
Confirm that each preset entry follows box_name:P:G, that entries inside a preset are comma-separated, and that separate preset definitions are separated by whitespace. Restore the backup if a hand edit introduced an invalid value, then change one entry at a time.
A theme name has no effect
Confirm that the theme file is in one of btop’s searched directories or in the directory supplied with --themes-dir. Remember that a custom directory takes priority over the normal search paths, so an incomplete file with the same name there can be selected first.
Colors or graph characters are corrupted
Test the same theme with --low-color, then with --tty. Improvement in one of those modes indicates a terminal capability mismatch rather than a layout error. Keep the mode that matches the terminal where btop will normally run.
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Check that update_ms is expressed in milliseconds, not seconds. A value of 2 means two milliseconds, not two seconds. Use 2000 or a larger value when following the project’s graph-sampling recommendation, and use --update to test alternatives without rewriting the file.
Useful command-line combinations
These examples combine the documented startup controls for common situations:
| Goal | Command | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Use the all-boxes fallback | btop --preset 0 |
Selects preset 0 for this launch |
| Try another saved arrangement | btop --preset 3 |
Selects preset 3 for this launch |
| Slow the display for longer samples | btop --update 5000 |
Uses a five-second interval for this launch |
| Use 256-color conversion | btop --low-color |
Converts truecolor values to a 256-color palette |
| Use a basic TTY presentation | btop --tty |
Forces 16 colors and TTY-friendly graph symbols |
| Test themes in a personal directory | btop --themes-dir "$HOME/.config/btop/themes" |
Gives that directory priority for theme lookup |
For a permanent setup, move the values you have validated into btop.conf. Keep startup flags in scripts or aliases only when you deliberately want a different profile for a particular terminal or task.
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