Linux Command: lspci

lspci lists all PCI devices in the system including graphics cards, network adapters, storage controllers, USB controllers, and sound cards. PCI is the main bus connecting hardware components. lspci is essential for identifying hardware, finding correct drivers, and troubleshooting device detection issues. The -v flags provide increasing levels of detail about each device. lspci reads from the PCI configuration space, showing vendor, device, subsystem, driver, and hardware capabilities.

Syntax

lspci [OPTION]...

Key Options

• -v — Verbose — show detailed info
• -vv — Very verbose
• -nn — Show vendor/device IDs
• -k — Show kernel driver in use
• -s — Show specific device by slot
• -d — Show devices by vendor:device ID

Examples

List all PCI devices

lspci

Output: 00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA 00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel

Show with drivers

lspci -k

Show with IDs

lspci -nn

Output: 00:02.0 VGA [0300]: NVIDIA [10de:2504]

Pro Tips

• lspci -nn shows vendor:device IDs in brackets. Search these online to find the correct Linux driver.
• lspci -k shows "Kernel driver in use:" for each device. If missing, the driver is not loaded.
• If devices show as "Unknown", update the PCI ID database: sudo update-pciids.

Learn more: Full lspci reference →