---
title: smartctl (SMART control) — Disk SMART health checks
date: 2026-10-20
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: A tool that reads SMART attributes and self-test results to detect early disk failures.
tags: program, File and disk management, smartctl
---

A tool that reads SMART attributes and self-test results to detect early disk failures.

## Basic Information

| Command Name | smartctl (SMART control) |
| --- | --- |
| One-line Introduction | A tool that reads SMART attributes and self-test results to detect early disk failures. |
| Provided by | smartmontools |
| Official Documentation | https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/smartctl.8.html |
| Supported Operating Systems | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Installation Status | Requires the smartmontools package |
| Category | Linux file and disk management (tags: SMART, disk, health check, smartmontools) |

## What is this command?

smartctl reads the SMART values a disk records itself and reports reallocated sectors, pending sectors, temperature and power-on hours. It supports both HDDs and NVMe SSDs.

Checking -H and -a regularly helps you replace a disk before a sudden failure. NVMe devices need the -d nvme option.

## What problems does it solve?

- You want early warning of a failing disk
- You are reviewing disk temperature and power-on hours
- You want to run and record a self-test
- You need to decide which disk to replace
## Key features

### Health summary

-H prints a short PASSED or FAILED verdict.

- **When to use**: You need a quick verdict
- **What you get**: The disk's own verdict
- **Limitations**: PASSED does not reveal a worsening individual attribute.
### Full attribute view

-a shows the attribute table, error log and self-test history.

- **When to use**: You need detailed diagnostics
- **What you get**: Reallocated and pending sectors, temperature, error log
- **Limitations**: Attribute names differ slightly between vendors.
### Run a self-test

-t short or -t long starts an internal self-test.

- **When to use**: Your maintenance routine includes a diagnostic
- **What you get**: Test progress and result log
- **Limitations**: A long test takes hours and adds load.
## Installation and usage

### Check whether it is installed

```
smartctl --version
```

sudo apt install smartmontools   # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install smartmontools   # Fedora

## Real-world examples

### Check health

Show only the SMART verdict.

```
sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda
```

### Attributes and error log

Print attributes and recent error records.

```
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda
```

### Short self-test

Start a short test and read the result from the log.

```
sudo smartctl -t short /dev/sda
sudo smartctl -l selftest /dev/sda
```

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/filesystem/smartctl.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.