CommandLinux

smartctl

smartctl [options] device

Reads a drive's S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data — the built-in health telemetry that flags a failing drive before it dies outright.

// FLAGS

-ashow all SMART info

-Hjust the overall pass/fail health summary

-trun a self-test, e.g. short or long

// EXAMPLE

smartctl -H /dev/sda — prints a quick "PASSED" or "FAILED" overall health verdict for the drive.

// GOTCHA

smartctl isn't installed by default on every distro (it's part of the smartmontools package) and isn't built into macOS at all — it needs to be installed separately there (e.g. via Homebrew) before it can be used.

// RELATED COMMANDS

fsck lsblk df