# info > nice

---
type: CommandReference
command: nice
mode: info
section: ""
source: info
---

## Quick Reference

- `nice` — print current niceness
- `nice [OPTION]... [COMMAND [ARG]...]` — run command with adjusted niceness
- `nice -n ADJUSTMENT COMMAND` — add ADJUSTMENT (default 10) to niceness
- `nice nice` — show default increment (10)
- `nice -n 10 nice` — explicitly set increment
- `nice -n -1 nice` — requires superuser; fails with "Permission denied" otherwise
- `nice -n 10000000000 nice` — caps at max supported niceness (19)
- `sudo nice -n -1 nice` — privileged user can set negative niceness

## Name

`nice` — run a command with modified niceness, or print current niceness

## Synopsis

shell
nice [OPTION]... [COMMAND [ARG]...]
If no arguments, print the current niceness. Otherwise, run COMMAND with its niceness adjusted. By default, niceness is incremented by 10.

Niceness values range from -20 (high priority, more resources) to 19 (low priority, less impact). Systems may have wider or narrower ranges; out‑of‑range values are treated as the minimum or maximum supported.

A niceness is not a scheduling priority; it is advice the scheduler may ignore. POSIX defines a "nice value" as the non‑negative difference between a niceness and the minimum.

COMMAND must not be a special built‑in utility. Use `env nice ...` to avoid shell interference.

To change the niceness of an existing process, use `renice`.

## Options

- `-n ADJUSTMENT`, `--adjustment=ADJUSTMENT` — add ADJUSTMENT instead of 10 to the command’s niceness. If ADJUSTMENT is negative and lacking privileges, `nice` warns but acts as if adjustment were zero. The obsolete `-ADJUSTMENT` syntax is also supported for compatibility.

## Examples

shell
$ nice factor 4611688427387903
shell
$ nice
0
$ nice nice
10
$ nice -n 10 nice
10
$ nice nice -n 3 nice
13
$ nice -n 10000000000 nice
19
$ nice -n -1 nice
nice: cannot set niceness: Permission denied
0
$ sudo nice -n -1 nice
-1
## Exit Codes

- `0` — no COMMAND specified and niceness printed
- `125` — `nice` itself fails
- `126` — COMMAND found but cannot be invoked
- `127` — COMMAND not found
- exit status of COMMAND otherwise

## See Also

- `renice` (change niceness of running process)
- `env` (run command with environment)
- [coreutils info page](https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/)