Linux Pocket Guide

Logins, Logouts, and Shutdowns

We assume you know how to log into your Linux account. To log out from GNOME or KDE, click the red hat icon in the taskbar and choose Logout from the main menu. To log out from a remote shell, just close the shell (type exit or logout).

Never simply turn off the power to a Linux system: it needs a more graceful shutdown. To perform a shutdown from GNOME, choose Logout → Shut Down. From KDE, first log out, then on the login screen, click the Shutdown icon. To perform a shutdown from a shell, run the shutdown command as the superuser, as follows.