cpufreq-set

Set the CPU frequency policy of CPU 1 to "userspace"

$ sudo cpufreq-set [[-c|--cpu]] [1] [[-g|--governor]] [userspace]

$ sudo cpufreq-set [[-c|--cpu]] [1] [[-d|--min]] [min_frequency]

$ sudo cpufreq-set [[-c|--cpu]] [1] [[-u|--max]] [max_frequency]

$ sudo cpufreq-set [[-c|--cpu]] [1] [[-f|--freq]] [work_frequency]

cpufreq-set [-c|--cpu CPU] [-g|--governor GOVERNOR] [-d|--min FREQ] [-u|--max FREQ] [-f|--freq FREQ] [-r|--resolve] [-h|--help] [-V|--version]

-c, --cpu CPU
    CPU to affect (default: all CPUs)

-f, --freq FREQ
    Set target frequency (scaling_setspeed)

-g, --governor GOVERNOR
    Set scaling governor (e.g., performance, powersave)

-d, --min FREQ
    Set minimum frequency (scaling_min_freq)

-u, --max FREQ
    Set maximum frequency (scaling_max_freq)

-r, --resolve
    Resolve FREQ to nearest supported value

-h, --help
    Display help

-V, --version
    Show version info

cpufreq-set is a command-line tool from the cpufrequtils package for configuring the Linux kernel's CPUFreq subsystem. It enables manual adjustment of CPU scaling governors (e.g., performance, powersave, ondemand), minimum/maximum frequencies, or a target frequency for specific CPUs.

The utility writes to sysfs files under /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/, typically requiring root privileges. Frequencies accept Hz, kHz, MHz, or GHz suffixes and can be resolved to hardware-supported values with -r. By default, it affects all CPUs; use -c to target one.

Ideal for power management, performance optimization, or benchmarking without kernel recompilation. Changes are not persistent across reboots unless scripted (e.g., via systemd). Verify settings with cpufreq-info. Availability depends on kernel CPUFreq drivers and hardware support.

Requires root privileges. Frequencies/governors limited by hardware and kernel drivers. Non-persistent across reboots. Use cpufreq-info to verify.

cpufreq-set -g performance (all CPUs to max performance)
cpufreq-set -f 2.0GHz -c 0 (CPU 0 to 2GHz)
cpufreq-set -u 1.5GHz -d 800MHz (limit range on all CPUs)

Developed in cpufrequtils (2004-2005) for Linux 2.6 CPUFreq support. Largely superseded by cpupower in modern kernels, but still widely used.

cpufreq-info(1), cpupower(1), tuned(8)