# Everyday Ollama CLI Commands — Local LLMs with Ollama & llama.cpp

Source: https://www.skillbyai.com/en/local-llms/ll-ollama-cli

> Pull, run, list, inspect, stop and remove models with the core Ollama commands.

## The handful of commands you will use daily

`ollama pull <model>` downloads a model and its layers. `ollama run <model>` pulls if needed, loads the model and opens an interactive chat; pass a prompt as an argument for a one-shot answer instead. Inside the chat, `/bye` exits, `/set parameter` changes options for the session, and `/show info` prints model details. `ollama list` shows what is on disk with sizes. `ollama ps` shows what is **loaded in memory right now**, how much it uses, whether it is on GPU, CPU or split, and when it will unload. `ollama show <model>` prints the architecture, parameters, context length, quantization and template, and can print the Modelfile with `--modelfile`. `ollama stop <model>` unloads a model immediately, and `ollama rm <model>` deletes it from disk. Model names use a **name:tag** form, such as `qwen2.5:7b`; if you omit the tag, Ollama uses `latest`.

## A typical first session

One-shot prompts are handy for scripts; the interactive mode is for exploration.

```bash
ollama pull llama3.2            # download (tag defaults to :latest)
ollama run llama3.2 "Explain recursion in two lines"
ollama list                      # models on disk
ollama ps                        # models in memory, CPU/GPU split
ollama show llama3.2             # context length, quantization, etc.
ollama stop llama3.2             # unload from memory now
ollama rm llama3.2               # delete from disk
```

## Read ollama ps before blaming the model

If generation is unexpectedly slow, `ollama ps` often explains it: a PROCESSOR column such as "48%/52% CPU/GPU" means part of the model did not fit in VRAM and is running on the much slower CPU. Try a smaller model, a lower quantization or a shorter context.

**Quiz:** Which command shows the models currently loaded into memory and their CPU/GPU placement?

- [x] ollama ps
- [ ] ollama list
- [ ] ollama show
- [ ] ollama pull

*Answer:* ollama ps. `ollama ps` lists running (loaded) models with memory use and processor split. `ollama list` only shows what is downloaded.