Listing systemd targets makes it easier to see which high-level system states and synchronization points are available on a host before changing boot defaults, wiring new unit dependencies, or troubleshooting why a service starts later than expected.
In systemd, target units are the .target files that group other units and define ordering milestones during boot and shutdown. The systemctl list-units –type=target view asks the running manager which targets are currently loaded in memory, while systemctl list-unit-files –type=target reads the installed target unit files and shows states such as static, alias, or disabled.
These two views answer different questions, and some standard targets are only pulled in when something requires them. A host may boot normally without ever loading network-online.target, for example, even though the target file exists on disk, and default.target in the system instance is usually an alias to multi-user.target or graphical.target rather than a standalone target unit. Per-user sessions have a separate manager under systemctl --user and their own target set.
Steps to list systemd targets:
- Open a terminal session on the Linux host that uses systemd.
These listing commands are read-only and normally do not require sudo.
- List the target units that the running manager currently has loaded in memory.
$ systemctl list-units --type=target --no-pager UNIT LOAD ACTIVE SUB DESCRIPTION basic.target loaded active active Basic System graphical.target loaded active active Graphical Interface local-fs-pre.target loaded active active Preparation for Local File Systems local-fs.target loaded active active Local File Systems multi-user.target loaded active active Multi-User System paths.target loaded active active Path Units slices.target loaded active active Slice Units sockets.target loaded active active Socket Units swap.target loaded active active Swaps sysinit.target loaded active active System Initialization timers.target loaded active active Timer Units 11 loaded units listed. Pass --all to see loaded but inactive units, too. To show all installed unit files use 'systemctl list-unit-files'.
Upstream systemctl documents list-units as the in-memory view, so this output does not include every target unit file installed on disk.
- Add --all when the target list should include loaded targets that are currently inactive.
$ systemctl list-units --type=target --all --no-pager UNIT LOAD ACTIVE SUB DESCRIPTION basic.target loaded active active Basic System blockdev@dev-vda1.target loaded inactive dead Block Device Preparation for /dev/vda1 cryptsetup-pre.target loaded inactive dead Local Encrypted Volumes (Pre) cryptsetup.target loaded inactive dead Local Encrypted Volumes emergency.target loaded inactive dead Emergency Mode final.target loaded inactive dead Late Shutdown Services graphical.target loaded active active Graphical Interface ##### snipped ##### rescue.target loaded inactive dead Rescue Mode slices.target loaded active active Slice Units sockets.target loaded active active Socket Units swap.target loaded active active Swaps sysinit.target loaded active active System Initialization time-set.target loaded inactive dead System Time Set timers.target loaded active active Timer Units 32 loaded units listed. To show all installed unit files use 'systemctl list-unit-files'.
--all expands the loaded set, but it still does not replace list-unit-files. Targets that were never loaded into the current boot session remain absent from this view.
- List the installed target unit files when the goal is to see the full target inventory together with unit-file state.
$ systemctl list-unit-files --type=target --no-pager UNIT FILE STATE PRESET basic.target static - blockdev@.target static - bluetooth.target static - boot-complete.target static - cryptsetup-pre.target static - cryptsetup.target static - ctrl-alt-del.target alias - default.target alias - emergency.target static - ##### snipped ##### graphical.target static - multi-user.target static - network-online.target static - network.target static - rescue.target static - runlevel3.target alias - runlevel5.target alias - 75 unit files listed.
The STATE column shows whether the unit file is static, alias, disabled, or another install state, while PRESET shows the vendor preset policy. This broader view can include aliases such as default.target and template targets such as blockdev@.target even when they are not loaded right now.
- Filter the installed target list by pattern when only a subset of milestones matters.
$ systemctl list-unit-files '*network*.target' --type=target --no-pager --no-legend network-online.target static - network-pre.target static - network.target static -
Quote the glob so the shell passes it to systemctl unchanged. Upstream systemd.special distinguishes network.target as the general network-available milestone and network-online.target as the stronger wait-until-configured milestone that is usually pulled in only when a unit explicitly needs it.
- Query the common boot-related targets directly when verifying names before a default-target change.
$ systemctl list-unit-files default.target graphical.target multi-user.target rescue.target --no-pager --no-legend default.target alias - graphical.target static - multi-user.target static - rescue.target static -
In the system instance, default.target is usually an alias for multi-user.target or graphical.target rather than a standalone target unit.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
