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Topic hub System & Storage
Windows Linux System & Storage System

Windows shutdown equivalent in Linux

Powers off, reboots, or schedules a shutdown of the Linux system.

Windows shutdown
Linux equivalents
Debian/Ubuntu same command
shutdown
Fedora same command
shutdown
Arch same command
shutdown

Overview

What this command does

Powers off, reboots, or schedules a shutdown of the Linux system.

Migration tip: Linux's shutdown command is flexible — you can schedule it minutes in advance and cancel it. The now keyword shuts down immediately.

Practical tasks

Common use cases

Shutdown or restart the system

Powers off, reboots, or schedules a shutdown of the Linux system.

shutdown now

Shutdown immediately

shutdown -h now

Halt (power off) now

shutdown -r now

Reboot now

Ready to run

Copyable Linux commands

Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.

shutdown now
poweroff
shutdown -r now
reboot
shutdown -h +30
shutdown -c

Walkthrough

Examples with explanations

# Windows: shutdown /s /t 0
shutdown now              # power off immediately
poweroff                  # same thing, shorter

# Windows: shutdown /r /t 0
shutdown -r now          # reboot now
reboot                    # same thing, shorter

# Schedule for later:
shutdown -h +30          # shutdown in 30 minutes
shutdown -c              # cancel scheduled shutdown

Reference

Common options and variations

Command or optionUse
shutdown nowShutdown immediately
shutdown -h nowHalt (power off) now
shutdown -r nowReboot now
rebootShortcut to reboot
poweroffShortcut to power off
shutdown -cCancel a scheduled shutdown

Distro differences

Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch

This command is the same on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch Linux when the relevant tool is installed.

DistributionPackage manager / baseEquivalent commandDifference to notice
Debian/Ubuntu same command shutdown Same command on this distribution.
Fedora same command shutdown Same command on this distribution.
Arch same command shutdown Same command on this distribution.

Keep learning

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