Linux Desktop Frozen? My 5 Go-to Tricks To Try - Before Forcing A Hard Reboot

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• If your Linux desktop freezes, don't panic; location are ways to hole it.
• You tin usage keyboard shortcuts, virtual consoles, SSH, and different tricks.
• These tips tin thief debar a difficult reboot.

I started utilizing Linux successful 1997, and since then, it's been a uncommon juncture that my desktop causes maine immoderate issues.

Notice I said "rare." That doesn't mean I've gone each these years without an issue. In fact, I person had my desktop frost up connected maine capable that I've had to thin connected immoderate tricks to reclaim it.

Now, earlier I continue, I want to make 1 point clear: erstwhile a Linux desktop freezes, 99.99999% of nan time, it's not nan kernel's fault. Typically, what causes nan rumor is simply a azygous app that, retired of nowhere, consumes a mostly of nan strategy resources, causing nan desktop to fastener up. That app could beryllium a web browser, a virtual instrumentality manager, an image editor -- thing that uses memory. When that app goes connected a memory-gobbling spree, it will either origin your desktop to respond very slow aliases not astatine all. I've had situations wherever nan cursor still moves but cannot interact pinch nan apps.

What do you do?

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There are ways to get yourself retired of this jam without having to unopen down nan strategy by holding nan powerfulness fastener for a fewer seconds until you spot nan surface spell black.

1. Ctrl+Q

This is nan first point you should try. Most apps successful Linux person nan Ctrl+Q keyboard operation mapped to adjacent a window. If you still person power of your cursor, click connected a fishy app, and past deed nan Ctrl+Q keyboard operation to spot if it'll adjacent nan app. If nan app closes and you regain your desktop, you're done. If not, you tin effort to adjacent different apps until you find nan offender. If this doesn't activity astatine all, move connected to nan adjacent method.

2. Virtual console

Linux has had a really cool instrumentality up its sleeve for decades: virtual consoles. Essentially, this switches you retired of nan desktop and into a console that includes a bash punctual wherever you tin log successful pinch your username and password, and past tally nan basal commands to troubleshoot. For example, you could rumor nan apical bid to find retired what app has taken complete your strategy resources and past kill nan offending app pinch either nan kill or killall command. 

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Linux gives you respective virtual consoles (each functions successful nan aforesaid way), and you tin entree them pinch nan Ctrl+Alt+F1/7 cardinal combination. Do statement that F1/7 intends F1 done F7 (your usability keys).

3. SSH

This is nan instrumentality I usage most. When my desktop freezes, I usage Secure Shell to distant into my desktop and hole nan problem. Because SSH uses truthful fewer strategy resources, it ne'er fails me. Once I've logged in, I tin usage immoderate bid is basal to lick my problem. Here's 1 different point you could do: because GNOME is sometimes nan problem (or nan problem isn't revealing itself), I created a book that I tin tally to restart nan GNOME desktop (which ever solves nan problem). 

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The contented of that book is conscionable 2 lines:

#!/bin/bash
killall -3 gnome-shell

Save that file, springiness it executable permissions (such arsenic chmod u+x restart_gnome.sh), and each you person to do is tally it from nan bid statement erstwhile necessary. Problem solved.

4. REISUB

If your desktop has frozen, and nan supra 2 tricks don't work, there's ever a soft reboot (a normal reboot, arsenic opposed to holding down nan powerfulness key, which isn't nan champion method of shutting down a system). REISUB restarts your machine without you having to entree nan desktop menu. Of course, you could ever usage either a virtual terminal aliases SSH and past rumor nan sudo reboot bid (I've done that respective times). 

But if you're not comfortable pinch either method -- aliases they are, for immoderate reason, not moving -- you tin usage nan REISUB method. This is done by holding down Alt+SysRq (the Print Screen key) while slow typing REISUB (with a flimsy region betwixt each). Once you've done that, your strategy will safely reboot.

5. Ctrl+Alt+Del / Ctrl+Alt+Backspace

Some desktop environments still make usage of nan aged Ctrl+Alt+Del cardinal combination, which instantly reboots your machine. Not each desktop environments (such arsenic GNOME) grant this cardinal combination. Some Linux desktops besides still grant nan aged Ctrl+Alt+Backspace combination, which automatically kills nan desktop and sends you backmost to nan login screen. 

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Back successful nan early days of Linux, each distribution honored these cardinal combinations. As desktops evolved, immoderate dropped support for that functionality successful favour of mapping nan shortcuts to different actions. If your desktop freezes, you tin ever effort 1 of these 2 shortcuts to spot if it useful earlier trying thing else.