last

Show login history

low risk

interactive breakdown — edit the command and press Explain

$

⚠ Risks & cautions

Output contains usernames and source IPs — treat as sensitive.

What it does

Reads /var/log/wtmp to show past logins, reboots and shutdowns.

Common flags

Flag	Meaning
`-n`	Limit number of entries
`-x`	Include shutdown/runlevel changes
`-F`	Full timestamps

Examples

last -n 20Recent logins · explain & risk-check →

last rebootReboot history · explain & risk-check →

Related

Open the full explainer →More in System & Processes

Reference text is hand-written and may be incomplete — check man last for your version. Test destructive commands on a non-production system first.