/etc/passwd with the
cat command, i.e.:
cat /etc/passwd
grep -oE '^[^:]+' /etc/passwd.
Explanation
Alternatively, you can examine the file with the cut command looking at only the first field in the file (the fields are separated by colons):
cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd
awk -F: '{print $1}' /etc/passwd
To filter for human users (usually UIDs 1000) rather than system accounts, use:
awk -F: '$3 >= 1000 && $3 != 65534 {print $1}' /etc/passwd
You can also use the lslogins command:
joe@Lotus:~$ lslogins UID USER PROC PWD-LOCK PWD-DENY LAST-LOGIN GECOS 0 root 240 0 0 root 1 daemon 0 daemon 2 bin 0 bin 3 sys 0 sys 4 sync 0 sync 5 games 0 games 6 man 0 man 7 lp 0 lp 8 mail 0 mail 9 news 0 news 10 uucp 0 uucp 13 proxy 0 proxy 33 www-data 0 www-data 34 backup 0 backup 38 list 0 Mailing List Manage 39 irc 0 ircd 42 _apt 0 100 dhcpcd 0 DHCP Client Daemon 101 syslog 1 102 _chrony 2 Chrony daemon 103 tss 0 TPM software stack 104 uuidd 0 105 whoopsie 0 106 avahi 2 Avahi mDNS daemon 107 nm-openvpn 0 NetworkManager Open 108 tcpdump 0 109 sssd 0 SSSD system user 110 speech-dispatcher 0 Speech Dispatcher 111 usbmux 0 usbmux daemon 112 cups-pk-helper 0 user for cups-pk-he 113 saned 0 114 geoclue 0 115 cups-browsed 1 116 hplip 0 HPLIP system user 117 rtkit 1 RealtimeKit 118 colord 1 colord colour manag 119 gnome-initial-setup 0 984 gdm 0 Gnome Display Manag 985 polkitd 1 User for polkitd 986 gnome-remote-desktop 0 GNOME Remote Deskto 987 pipewire 0 system user for pip 988 fwupd-refresh 0 Firmware update dae 989 systemd-oom 1 systemd Userspace O 990 systemd-resolve 1 systemd Resolver 996 messagebus 1 System Message Bus 998 systemd-network 0 systemd Network Man 999 dnsmasq 0 dnsmasq 1000 joe 103 19:20 Joe 65534 nobody 0 0 0 nobody joe@Lotus:~$
Or you could use the
compgen command compgen -u:
joe@Lotus:~$ compgen -u root daemon bin sys sync games man lp mail news uucp proxy www-data backup list irc _apt nobody systemd-network dhcpcd messagebus syslog systemd-resolve _chrony tss uuidd systemd-oom whoopsie dnsmasq avahi nm-openvpn tcpdump sssd speech-dispatcher usbmux cups-pk-helper fwupd-refresh saned geoclue cups-browsed pipewire hplip gnome-remote-desktop polkitd rtkit colord gnome-initial-setup gdm joe joe@Lotus:~$
You could also use the getent command, which will show all user accounts, regardless of the type of name service used, so it will show all local and Light Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) users.
joe@Lotus:~$ getent passwd root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/usr/sbin/nologin bin:x:2:2:bin:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin sys:x:3:3:sys:/dev:/usr/sbin/nologin sync:x:4:65534:sync:/bin:/bin/sync games:x:5:60:games:/usr/games:/usr/sbin/nologin man:x:6:12:man:/var/cache/man:/usr/sbin/nologin lp:x:7:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/usr/sbin/nologin mail:x:8:8:mail:/var/mail:/usr/sbin/nologin news:x:9:9:news:/var/spool/news:/usr/sbin/nologin uucp:x:10:10:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/usr/sbin/nologin proxy:x:13:13:proxy:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin www-data:x:33:33:www-data:/var/www:/usr/sbin/nologin backup:x:34:34:backup:/var/backups:/usr/sbin/nologin list:x:38:38:Mailing List Manager:/var/list:/usr/sbin/nologin irc:x:39:39:ircd:/run/ircd:/usr/sbin/nologin _apt:x:42:65534::/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin nobody:x:65534:65534:nobody:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin systemd-network:x:998:998:systemd Network Management:/:/usr/sbin/nologin dhcpcd:x:100:65534:DHCP Client Daemon:/usr/lib/dhcpcd:/bin/false messagebus:x:996:996:System Message Bus:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin syslog:x:101:101::/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin systemd-resolve:x:990:990:systemd Resolver:/:/usr/sbin/nologin _chrony:x:102:102:Chrony daemon:/var/lib/chrony:/usr/sbin/nologin tss:x:103:105:TPM software stack:/var/lib/tpm:/bin/false uuidd:x:104:107::/run/uuidd:/usr/sbin/nologin systemd-oom:x:989:989:systemd Userspace OOM Killer:/:/usr/sbin/nologin whoopsie:x:105:110::/nonexistent:/bin/false dnsmasq:x:999:65534:dnsmasq:/var/lib/misc:/usr/sbin/nologin avahi:x:106:112:Avahi mDNS daemon:/run/avahi-daemon:/usr/sbin/nologin nm-openvpn:x:107:113:NetworkManager OpenVPN:/var/lib/openvpn/chroot:/usr/sbin/nologin tcpdump:x:108:114::/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin sssd:x:109:115:SSSD system user:/var/lib/sss:/usr/sbin/nologin speech-dispatcher:x:110:29:Speech Dispatcher:/run/speech-dispatcher:/bin/false usbmux:x:111:46:usbmux daemon:/var/lib/usbmux:/usr/sbin/nologin cups-pk-helper:x:112:116:user for cups-pk-helper service:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin fwupd-refresh:x:988:988:Firmware update daemon:/var/lib/fwupd:/usr/sbin/nologin saned:x:113:117::/var/lib/saned:/usr/sbin/nologin geoclue:x:114:118::/var/lib/geoclue:/usr/sbin/nologin cups-browsed:x:115:116::/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin pipewire:x:987:987:system user for pipewire:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin hplip:x:116:7:HPLIP system user:/run/hplip:/bin/false gnome-remote-desktop:x:986:986:GNOME Remote Desktop:/var/lib/gnome-remote-desktop:/usr/sbin/nologin polkitd:x:985:985:User for polkitd:/:/usr/sbin/nologin rtkit:x:117:119:RealtimeKit:/proc:/usr/sbin/nologin colord:x:118:120:colord colour management daemon:/var/lib/colord:/usr/sbin/nologin gnome-initial-setup:x:119:65534::/run/gnome-initial-setup/:/bin/false gdm:x:984:984:Gnome Display Manager:/var/lib/gdm3:/bin/false joe:x:1000:1000:Joe:/home/joe:/bin/bash joe@Lotus:~$