>

Find Slow Boot Services with systemd-analyze blame

systemd-analyze blame ranks every unit by the time it took to initialize, revealing what delays startup.

LinuxbootperformancesystemdLow risk
Run `systemd-analyze blame` to list units sorted by initialization time and identify which services slow the boot; check `systemd-analyze` alone for total boot time.

01Command

Command
$ systemd-analyze blame

02What it does

Plain `systemd-analyze` prints overall figures like "Startup finished in 2.1s (kernel) + 8.4s (userspace)", while blame breaks the userspace part down per unit. Note the times measure each unit's own initialization, not waiting for dependencies — use `systemd-analyze critical-chain` for that view. A high blame entry usually means the service can be disabled, masked, or configured differently.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementssystemd-based distribution.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • systemd-analyze(1)
    Ubuntu Manpages · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: blame prints a list of all currently running units, ordered by the time they took to initialize.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: System & Settings

06Related solutions

Set the Timezone with timedatectl
Linuxtimedatectltimezonesystemd

timedatectl lists, sets, and verifies the system timezone and NTP sync status on systemd distributions.

Medium risk ✓ 2026-09-17
Change the Hostname with hostnamectl
Linuxhostnamesystemdhostnamectl

hostnamectl sets the static, transient, and pretty hostname in one step on systemd distros, no reboot required.

Medium risk ✓ 2026-09-17
List systemd Timers (the cron Replacement)
Linuxcronsystemdtimers

systemctl list-timers shows every scheduled timer unit with its last and next run times, which many users forget replaces cron on modern distros.

Medium risk ✓ 2026-09-17