How to Safely Shut Down or Reboot a Raspberry Pi

To avoid data corruption or SD card damage, you should never just unplug the power from a Raspberry Pi. Instead, use one of these safe methods:

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1. Shut Down via Command Line (SSH/Terminal)

A. Immediate Shutdown

bash

sudo shutdown -h now

• -h = Halt (completely powers off the system).

• After this, it’s safe to unplug the power.

B. Scheduled Shutdown (e.g., in 5 minutes)

bash

sudo shutdown -h +5  # Shuts down in 5 minutes

• Cancel with sudo shutdown -c.

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2. Reboot the Raspberry Pi

bash

sudo reboot

or

bash

sudo shutdown -r now  # -r = Reboot

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3. Using the Desktop GUI (Raspberry Pi OS)

1. Click the Menu (top-left corner).

2. Select Shutdown.

3. Choose Shutdown or Reboot.

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4. Hardware Power Button (If Configured)

Some cases have a physical power button connected to GPIO pins.

• Requires a shutdown script (Python or systemd service).

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5. Emergency: If the System Freezes

If the Raspberry Pi is unresponsive:

1. Ctrl + Alt + Del (if a keyboard is connected).

2. If nothing works:

   • Cut power (last resort—may corrupt the SD card!).

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Important Notes

✅ Always shut down properly before unplugging—otherwise, SD card corruption may occur.
✅ For headless setups (no monitor), use ssh to run shutdown or reboot.
✅ For auto-shutdown (e.g., during power loss), use a UPS (Battery Backup) or a shutdown script.

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Quick Command Summary

Pro Tip: For automated shutdowns, use cron or systemd timers!