diff --git a/server/cmd/mattermost/commands/root.go b/server/cmd/mattermost/commands/root.go
index 3dd3dea3e9..692ac30f53 100644
--- a/server/cmd/mattermost/commands/root.go
+++ b/server/cmd/mattermost/commands/root.go
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 package commands
 
 import (
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/public/shared/mlog"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
@@ -18,8 +21,18 @@ var RootCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Use:   "mattermost",
 	Short: "Open source, self-hosted Slack-alternative",
 	Long:  `Mattermost offers workplace messaging across web, PC and phones with archiving, search and integration with your existing systems. Documentation available at https://docs.mattermost.com`,
+	PersistentPreRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+		checkForRootUser()
+	},
 }
 
 func init() {
 	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringP("config", "c", "", "Configuration file to use.")
 }
+
+// checkForRootUser logs a warning if the process is running as root
+func checkForRootUser() {
+	if os.Geteuid() == 0 {
+		mlog.Warn("Running Mattermost as root is not recommended. Please use a non-root user.")
+	}
+}