Reference number: CH000606

How to turn off, restart, and shut down Linux.

Question:

How to turn off, restart, and shut down Linux.

Cause:

Users who are unfamiliar with Linux and/or the Linux shell may find it difficult to know which command is used to restart, shut down, or turn off their computer. 

Answer:

Shutting down / rebooting the computer from the shell / command line

Below is a listing of each of the commands that will enable a user to shut down, turn off, reboot, etc. their Linux computer from the command line. Users can find additional information about each of the commands by clicking the link.

halt
poweroff
reboot
shutdown

Shutting down / rebooting the computer from a GUI interface

Shutting down or rebooting the computer from a GUI interface depends on what GUI you are using. Often the shutdown, log out, reboot, etc. are located through the GUI's main menu or bar located on one of the sides of the window. If you are unable to find a method of shutting down or rebooting the computer remember you can shut down / reboot the computer using the above commands in a shell, you could also create scripts that would run these commands from the GUI.