• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer navigation

The Geek Diary

  • OS
    • Linux
    • CentOS/RHEL
    • VCS
  • Interview Questions
  • Database
    • MariaDB
  • DevOps
    • Docker
    • Shell Scripting
  • Big Data
    • Hadoop
    • Cloudera
    • Hortonworks HDP

ctrlaltdel: command not found

by Deepika

The ctrlaltdel command is a utility in Linux that is used to send the “Control-Alt-Delete” key combination to the system. This key combination is used to reboot or shut down the system, depending on the system configuration.

To use the ctrlaltdel command, you will need to run it as the root user or with superuser privileges. This can be done by using the sudo command. For example, to reboot the system immediately without any preparation using the ctrlaltdel command, you can use the following command:

# sudo ctrlaltdel hard

This will send the “Control-Alt-Delete” key combination to the system, which will cause it to reboot.

If you encounter the below error while running the command ctrlaltdel:

ctrlaltdel: command not found

you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:

Distribution Command
Debian apt-get install util-linux
Ubuntu apt-get install util-linux
Alpine apk add util-linux
Arch Linux pacman -S util-linux
Kali Linux apt-get install util-linux
CentOS yum install util-linux
Fedora dnf install util-linux
OS X brew install util-linux
Raspbian apt-get install util-linux

ctrlaltdel Command Examples

1. Get current setting:

# ctrlaltdel

2. Set CTRL+ALT+DEL to reboot immediately, without any preparation:

# sudo ctrlaltdel hard

3. Set CTRL+ALT+DEL to reboot “normally”, giving processes a chance to exit first (send SIGINT to PID1):

# sudo ctrlaltdel soft

Filed Under: Linux

Some more articles you might also be interested in …

  1. dm-tool Command Examples in Linux
  2. strip: command not found
  3. EMC PowerPath Powermt Commands (Cheat Sheet)
  4. CentOS / RHEL 6 : how to start the services interactively during boot (to disable/abort some services)
  5. mke2fs: command not found
  6. laydown Command Examples
  7. lastcomm Command Examples in Linux
  8. ack – A search tool like grep, optimized for developers (Command Examples)
  9. netstat Command Examples in Linux
  10. Linux Command line Basics – Executing commands from the command line

You May Also Like

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Vanilla OS 2 Released: A New Era for Linux Enthusiasts
  • mk Command Examples
  • mixxx Command Examples
  • mix Command Examples

© 2025 · The Geek Diary

  • Archives
  • Contact Us
  • Copyright