NMCLI(1)

NAME
nmcli - command-line tool for controlling NetworkManager

SYNOPSIS
nmcli [ OPTIONS ] OBJECT { COMMAND | help }

OBJECT := { nm | con | dev }

OPTIONS := {
-t[erse]
-p[retty]
-m[mode] tabular | multiline
-f[ields] <field1,field2,...> | all | common
-e[scape] yes | no
-v[ersion]
-h[elp]
}

DESCRIPTION
nmcli is a command-line tool for controlling NetworkManager and getting its status. It is not meant as a replacement of nm-applet or other similar clients. Rather it's a complementary utility to these programs. The main nmcli's usage is on servers, headless machines or just for power users who prefer the command line.

The use cases comprise:

—   Initscripts: ifup/ifdown can utilize NetworkManager via nmcli instead of having to manage connections itself and possibly interfere with NetworkManager.

—   Servers, headless machines: No GUI is available; then nmcli can be used to activate/deactivate connections. However, if a connection requires a secret to activate and if that secret is not stored at the system level, nmcli will not be able to activate it; it is currently unable to supply the needed secrets to NetworkManager.

—   User sessions: nmcli can be used activate/deactivate connections from the command line, but a full NetworkManager client (like nm-applet) is used for supplying secrets not stored at the system level. Keyring dialogs and password prompts may appear if this happens.

  OPTIONS

-t, --terse
    Output is terse. This mode is designed and suitable for computer (script) processing.

-p, --pretty
    Output is pretty. This causes nmcli to produce easy readable outputs for humans, i.e. values are aligned, headers are printed, etc.

-m, --mode tabular | multiline
    Switch between tabular and multiline output. If omitted, default is tabular for most commands. For the commands producing more structured information, that cannot be displayed on a single line, default is multiline. Currenly, they are:
      'nmcli con list id|uuid <name>'
      'nmcli dev list'
    tabular - Output is a table where each line describes a single entry. Columns define particular properties of the entry.
    multiline - Each entry comprises more lines, each property on its own line. The values are prefixed with the property name.

-f, --fields <field1,field2,...> | all | common
    This option is used to specify what fields (column names) should be printed. Valid field names differ for specific commands. List available fields by providing an invalid value to the --fields option.
    all is used to print all valid field values of the command. common is used to print common field values of the command. If omitted, default is common. The option is mandatory when --terse is used. In this case, generic values all and common cannot be used. (This is to maintain compatibility when new fields are added in the future).

-e, --escape yes | no
    Whether to escape ':' and '\' characters in terse tabular mode. The escape character is '\'. If omitted, default is yes.

-v, --version
    Show nmcli version.

-h, --help
    Print help information.

  OBJECT

nm  NetworkManager
    Use this object to inquire and change state of NetworkManager.

  COMMAND := { status | enable | sleep | wifi | wwan }

    status
        Show overall status of NetworkManager. This is the default action, when no command is provided to nm object.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

    enable [true|false]
        Get networking-enabled status or enable/disable networking by NetworkManager. All interfaces managed by NetworkManager are deactivated when networking has been disabled.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
        method:    Enable
        arguments: TRUE or FALSE

    sleep [true|false]
        Get sleep status or put to sleep/awake NetworkManager. All interfaces managed by NetworkManager are deactivated when it falls asleep. This command is not meant for user to enable/disable networking, use enable for that. D-Bus Sleep method is designed to put NetworkManager to sleep or awake for suspending/resuming computer.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
        method:    Sleep
        arguments: TRUE or FALSE

    wifi [on|off]
        Inquire or set status of WiFi in NetworkManager. Without any further argument, WiFi status is printed; on enables WiFi; off disables WiFi.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

    wwan [on|off]
        Inquire or set status of WWAN in NetworkManager. Without any further argument, WWAN status is printed; on enables WWAN; off disables WWAN.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

con Connections
    Get information about NetworkManager's connections.

  COMMAND := { list | status | up | down | delete }

    list [id <id> | uuid <id>]
        List configured connections. Without a parameter, all connections are listed. In order to get connection details, id with connection's name or uuid with connection's UUID shall be specified. When no command is given to the con object, the default action is 'nmcli con list'.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

    status
        Print status of active connections.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

    up id <id> | uuid <id> [iface <iface>] [ap <BSSID>] [--nowait] [--timeout <timeout>]
        Activate a connection. The connection is identified by its name using id or UUID using uuid. For requiring particular device to activate the connection on, iface option with interface name should be given. ap option can further concretize what AP should be used in case of WiFi connection. --nowait option causes nmcli to exit immediately and not to wait for command completion. --timeout option provides a means to specify how long to wait for operation completion.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
        method:    ActivateConnection
        arguments: according to arguments

    down id <id> | uuid <id>
        Deactivate a connection. The connection is identified by its name using id or UUID using uuid.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
        method:    DeactivateConnection
        arguments: according to arguments

    delete id <id> | uuid <id>
        Delete a configured connection. The connection to delete is specified with id (connection name) or uuid (connection UUID).
        Reference to D-Bus:
        interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Settings.Connection
        method:    Delete
        arguments: none

dev Devices
    Get information about devices.

  COMMAND := { status | list | disconnect | wifi }

    status
        Print status of devices. This is the default action, when no command is specified to dev object.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

    list [iface <iface>]
        Get detailed information about devices. Without an argument, all devices are examined. To get information for a specific device, iface argument with the interface name should be provided.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

    disconnect iface <iface> [--nowait] [--timeout <timeout>]
        Disconnect a device and prevent the device from automatically activating further connections without user/manual intervention. --nowait option causes nmcli to exit immediately and not to wait for command completion. --timeout option provides a means to specify how long to wait for operation completion.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Device
        method:    Disconnect
        arguments: none

    wifi [list [iface <iface>] [bssid <BSSID>]]
        List available WiFi access points. iface and bssid options can be used to get just APs for particular interface or specific AP, respectively.
        Reference to D-Bus:
        No simple reference.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
nmcli's behavior is affected by the following environment variables.

LC_ALL
    If set to a non-empty string value, override the values of all the other internationalization variables.

LC_MESSAGES
    Determines the locale to be used for internationalised messages.

LANG
    Provides a default value for the internationalization variables that are unset or null.

Notes about localization:
Be aware that nmcli is localized and that's why the output depends on your environment. It's important to realize that especially when you parse the output.
Call nmcli as LC_ALL=C nmcli to be sure the locale is set to "C" while executing in a script.

LC_ALL, LC_MESSAGES, LANG variables specify the LC_MESSAGES locale category (in that order), which determines the language that nmcli uses for messages. The "C" locale is used if none of these variables are set, and this locale uses English messages.

EXIT STATUS
nmcli exits with status 0 if it succeeds, a value greater than 0 is returned if errors occur.

0   Success - indicates the operation succeeded

1   Unknown or unspecified error

2   Invalid user input, wrong nmcli invocation

3   Timeout expired (see commands with --timeout option)

4   Connection activation failed

5   Connection deactivation failed

6   Disconnecting device failed

BUGS
There are probably some. If you find a bug, please report to https://bugzilla.gnome.org/ - product NetworkManager.

SEE ALSO
nm-tool(1), nm-online(1), NetworkManager(8).