listunitfiles

Listunitfiles is a subcommand of the systemd systemctl utility. It reports the unit files installed on a system and shows how they are configured to start or be available, by listing each unit file with its enablement state. The typical syntax is systemctl list-unit-files [OPTIONS] [PATTERN...].

The command outputs a two-column list: UNIT FILE and STATE. UNIT FILE shows the name of the unit file, such as ssh.service or cups.service. STATE indicates how the unit is treated by systemd, with common values including enabled, disabled, and static. Other states such as generated or indirect may appear for certain types of units. The primary purpose is to reveal how units are configured to participate in boot or activation, rather than their current runtime status.

Scope and behavior: list-unit-files scans the standard systemd unit directories, typically including /etc/systemd/system, /usr/lib/systemd/system, and /lib/systemd/system, to present the available unit files and their configured state. It does not reflect the unit’s running state or recent activity; it reports install-time and enablement configuration. The output can be filtered by type (for example, with --type=service to show only service units) or by state (for example, --state=enabled to show units currently enabled for startup).

Usage notes: systemctl list-unit-files is useful for auditing startup configuration and verifying which units will be started automatically. It is often used in maintenance scripts and during system hardening to understand unit enablement across service types. Examples include listing all service unit files, or showing only enabled units. See systemctl and unit files for related concepts.