How to Find out How much RAM is Installed in Ubuntu

In this article, we will cover simple Terminal commands, the graphical Settings app, and System Monitor, so you can pick whichever method you are most comfortable with.

Find out How much RAM is Installed in Ubuntu

Method 1: Use the free command

The quickest way is the free command, which works on every Ubuntu version.

1. Open the Terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T, or open Activities (or the app grid), type Terminal and open it.
2. Type the following command and press Enter.
   free -h
3. You will now see the total, used, free and available memory on your PC. The Mem row is your RAM, and the Swap row is swap space on your disk.

The -h option shows the values in an easy-to-read format such as “Gi” (gigabytes). If you prefer plain megabytes, use free -m instead.

Do not worry if “free” looks very low. Linux uses spare memory for caching to speed things up. The available column is a better guide to how much memory your apps can still use.

Method 2: Check /proc/meminfo

Linux keeps detailed memory information in a special file. To see just the total amount of RAM, run:

grep MemTotal /proc/meminfo

To see everything, run cat /proc/meminfo. The values here are shown in kilobytes.

Method 3: See RAM sticks, speed and type with dmidecode

If you are planning a RAM upgrade, you may want to know how many memory slots you have, what size each stick is, and its type and speed. The dmidecode tool can show this. It needs administrator rights, so you will be asked for your password.

sudo dmidecode --type memory

Look for the Memory Device sections. Each one shows the Size, Type (for example DDR4 or DDR5) and Speed of a slot. Empty slots usually show “No Module Installed”. The Physical Memory Array section also lists the maximum capacity your motherboard reports, though this value is not always accurate.

Method 4: Use lshw

Another option is lshw, which lists your hardware:

sudo lshw -short -C memory

This gives a compact summary of your system memory and each installed module.

Method 5: Check from the Settings app

If you do not like using the Terminal, you can find the memory details in Ubuntu’s Settings app.

1. Open Settings from the app grid or the system menu at the top-right corner.
2. Go to About. In newer Ubuntu releases, you will find it under System > About.
3. Look for the Memory entry, which shows the total RAM installed.

On older versions of Ubuntu, this information was under System Settings > Details (or System Info) instead.

Method 6: Use System Monitor

You can also view the memory details through the System Monitor application. Here is how.

1. Open Activities, search for System Monitor and open it. You can also launch it from the Terminal with the following command.
   gnome-system-monitor
2. Open the Resources tab to see a live graph of memory and swap usage along with the total memory.

If System Monitor is not installed on your system, you can add it with sudo apt install gnome-system-monitor.

Why does Ubuntu show less RAM than I installed?

It is normal for Ubuntu to show slightly less memory than the sticks you bought. For example, a PC with 16 GB may show around 15 GB in free -h. There are a few common reasons:

• Reserved memory: The firmware and the Linux kernel reserve some memory for themselves.
• Integrated graphics: If your PC has no separate graphics card, part of the RAM is set aside for the graphics chip.
• Units: Tools may show values in GiB (1024-based), which look a little smaller than GB (1000-based).

If the difference is very large, such as half of your RAM missing, check the output of sudo dmidecode --type memory. A stick that is not detected may be loose or faulty, or it may need to be moved to a different slot.

Frequently asked questions

Which command is best for beginners?

Use free -h. It is short, works on every Ubuntu version and does not need administrator rights.

How can I check my RAM speed in Ubuntu?

Run sudo dmidecode --type memory and look for the Speed or Configured Memory Speed line under each Memory Device.

Do these steps work on other Linux distributions?

Yes. The free, /proc/meminfo, dmidecode and lshw methods work on most Linux distributions, including Debian, Linux Mint and Fedora. Only the Settings app steps may look different.

So, now you know how to find memory details in Ubuntu. If you have any problems finding it, feel free to leave a comment in the section below. We will always be happy to assist you.

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