Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-11 07:53:04

I made the switch to Arch directly from Windows and I am loving it so far.

I'm having trouble shutting down Arch. I did a custom installation with Arch and initially used XFCE. Everything worked except for shutdown. If I boot up and shut down immediately, it works fine. However, if I shut down after a full day of use, it gets stuck at:

Reached target System Power Off.
[355606.615693] reboot: Power down

It stays there indefinitely, even if I leave it overnight. I have to do a hard shutdown.

Thinking I might have messed up something during installation, I did a fresh install with KDE instead of XFCE, but the shutdown issue persists.

### System Info:

uname -a
Linux code-nest 6.13.6-arch1-1 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Fri, 07 Mar 2025 20:19:00 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux

I want to share logs from `journalctl`, but the output is around **24,000 lines**. Could someone guide me on what specific logs would be helpful to debug this issue?

Any help is appreciated!

EDIT: I want to share the journalctl output but as a newbie not sure if it has sensitive data. If there are any filters to crop them, please let me know.

EDIT 2: Recent shutdown failure log at: https://filebin.net/iqn21o2be16e9umy/last_boot-1.log

EDIT 3: Last shutdown which was stuck today on Mar-13th: https://filebin.net/iqn21o2be16e9umy/last_boot-3.log

Last edited by itzmidinesh (2025-03-13 14:39:21)

eriefisher · 2025-03-11 12:08:28

I have an older Acer laptop that does this. refuses to shut down and I have to use the power button. While researching it I found several solution that worked for other users with other equipment but none worked for me. I rarely shut my machines down anyway so I left it as is. The only problem with this is if I forget to hit the power button and it's not plugged in the battery will eventually die and this resets secure boot. Minor but still a PIA.

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-11 12:42:34

eriefisher wrote:

I have an older Acer laptop that does this. refuses to shut down and I have to use the power button. While researching it I found several solution that worked for other users with other equipment but none worked for me. I rarely shut my machines down anyway so I left it as is. The only problem with this is if I forget to hit the power button and it's not plugged in the battery will eventually die and this resets secure boot. Minor but still a PIA.

I have other devices connected to the power source that I don’t want to turn off. However, when the PC gets stuck, its fans or other components continue running. To resolve this, I currently perform a hard power off, but I’d like to avoid doing so.

Xylerfox · 2025-03-11 13:00:38

Good morning,

I'm still rather new at Arch myself, but we can try finding a fix together! I think that would be fun

For the Journalctl output, there's not much that's "Sensitive" really. It's mostly system services. I'd omit anything from sudo, and sshd-session.

Here's a few questions I got:
Does the system reboot properly? ("sudo reboot" or using the reboot command of your DE)
Was this a problem on other OSs?

As for Journalctl, please attempt a shutdown, and if it gets stuck again, do a power cycle and then run the following command: sudo journalctl --since="2025-03-11 01:00:00". This will display all logs since March 11th 2025 at 1AM, tweak the date and time to your liking. This will cut down on the output. When sharing the output, I'd check to omit IP addresses, and usernames if you don't feel comfortable sharing. Just read the output and anything you're not comfortable sharing just omit out.

Last edited by Xylerfox (2025-03-11 13:04:54)

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-11 14:57:18

Here's the output for the recent shutdown failure.
The log is too long to post here.

Uploaded to: https://filebin.net/iqn21o2be16e9umy/last_boot-1.log

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-11 15:00:39

Xylerfox wrote:

Good morning,
I'm still rather new at Arch myself, but we can try finding a fix together! I think that would be fun
For the Journalctl output, there's not much that's "Sensitive" really. It's mostly system services. I'd omit anything from sudo, and sshd-session.
Here's a few questions I got:
Does the system reboot properly? ("sudo reboot" or using the reboot command of your DE)
Was this a problem on other OSs?
As for Journalctl, please attempt a shutdown, and if it gets stuck again, do a power cycle and then run the following command: sudo journalctl --since="2025-03-11 01:00:00". This will display all logs since March 11th 2025 at 1AM, tweak the date and time to your liking. This will cut down on the output. When sharing the output, I'd check to omit IP addresses, and usernames if you don't feel comfortable sharing. Just read the output and anything you're not comfortable sharing just omit out.

To answer your questions. Yes reboot works without any issues.
Strangely, if I shutdown after reboot it shuts down properly as well.
I didn't have any issues with shutdown when I was on Windows 11/10.

Xylerfox · 2025-03-11 15:14:53

Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Unmounting /boot...
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Unmounting /mnt/hdd...
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Unmounting Temporary Directory /tmp...
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: boot.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Unmounted /boot.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: tmp.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Unmounted Temporary Directory /tmp.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopped target Swaps.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Deactivating swap /dev/disk/by-diskseq/4...
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest kernel: EXT4-fs (sda1): unmounting filesystem cd803f01-060a-4f5a-af8f-7c3be3df434c.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: dev-disk-by\x2ddiskseq-4.swap: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Deactivated swap /dev/disk/by-diskseq/4.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: dev-zram0.swap: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Deactivated swap Compressed Swap on /dev/zram0.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopping Create swap on /dev/zram0...
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest kernel: zram0: detected capacity change from 7906304 to 0
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: systemd-zram-setup@zram0.service: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopped Create swap on /dev/zram0.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Removed slice Slice /system/systemd-zram-setup.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: mnt-hdd.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Unmounted /mnt/hdd.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Reached target Unmount All Filesystems.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: systemd-fsck@dev-disk-by\x2duuid-cd803f01\x2d060a\x2d4f5a\x2daf8f\x2d7c3be3df434c.service: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopped File System Check on /dev/disk/by-uuid/cd803f01-060a-4f5a-af8f-7c3be3df434c.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Removed slice Slice /system/systemd-fsck.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopped target Preparation for Local File Systems.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: systemd-remount-fs.service: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopped Remount Root and Kernel File Systems.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev.service: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopped Create Static Device Nodes in /dev.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev-early.service: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Stopped Create Static Device Nodes in /dev gracefully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Reached target System Shutdown.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Reached target Late Shutdown Services.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: systemd-poweroff.service: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Finished System Power Off.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Reached target System Power Off.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd[1]: Shutting down.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd-shutdown[1]: Syncing filesystems and block devices.
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd-shutdown[1]: Sending SIGTERM to remaining processes...
Mar 11 20:09:00 code-nest systemd-journald[371]: Journal stopped

This part here to me suggests that everything's unmounting properly, and the system goes ahead and finishes with shutting down the critical control services.
Unfortunately, it seems that the journald service stops before whatever's causing the hang. So whatever's not stopping properly, is hanging up your system.

Funny enough, this reminds me of the old "it is now safe to power off your PC" messages on 90s montherboards

Xylerfox · 2025-03-11 15:16:43

itzmidinesh wrote:

Xylerfox wrote:
Good morning,
I'm still rather new at Arch myself, but we can try finding a fix together! I think that would be fun
For the Journalctl output, there's not much that's "Sensitive" really. It's mostly system services. I'd omit anything from sudo, and sshd-session.
Here's a few questions I got:
Does the system reboot properly? ("sudo reboot" or using the reboot command of your DE)
Was this a problem on other OSs?
As for Journalctl, please attempt a shutdown, and if it gets stuck again, do a power cycle and then run the following command: sudo journalctl --since="2025-03-11 01:00:00". This will display all logs since March 11th 2025 at 1AM, tweak the date and time to your liking. This will cut down on the output. When sharing the output, I'd check to omit IP addresses, and usernames if you don't feel comfortable sharing. Just read the output and anything you're not comfortable sharing just omit out.
To answer your questions. Yes reboot works without any issues.
Strangely, if I shutdown after reboot it shuts down properly as well.
I didn't have any issues with shutdown when I was on Windows 11/10.

If reboot works properly, I'm curious if it's a motherboard issue then.

Since a reboot and shutdown invoke the same processes in the Linux Kernel, just one tells the motherboard to perform a reboot, the other as a shutdown.
If you can, try updating your motherboard's BIOS to the latest version.

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-11 15:30:21

Xylerfox wrote:

itzmidinesh wrote:
Xylerfox wrote:
Good morning,
I'm still rather new at Arch myself, but we can try finding a fix together! I think that would be fun
For the Journalctl output, there's not much that's "Sensitive" really. It's mostly system services. I'd omit anything from sudo, and sshd-session.
Here's a few questions I got:
Does the system reboot properly? ("sudo reboot" or using the reboot command of your DE)
Was this a problem on other OSs?
As for Journalctl, please attempt a shutdown, and if it gets stuck again, do a power cycle and then run the following command: sudo journalctl --since="2025-03-11 01:00:00". This will display all logs since March 11th 2025 at 1AM, tweak the date and time to your liking. This will cut down on the output. When sharing the output, I'd check to omit IP addresses, and usernames if you don't feel comfortable sharing. Just read the output and anything you're not comfortable sharing just omit out.
To answer your questions. Yes reboot works without any issues.
Strangely, if I shutdown after reboot it shuts down properly as well.
I didn't have any issues with shutdown when I was on Windows 11/10.
If reboot works properly, I'm curious if it's a motherboard issue then.
Since a reboot and shutdown invoke the same processes in the Linux Kernel, just one tells the motherboard to perform a reboot, the other as a shutdown.
If you can, try updating your motherboard's BIOS to the latest version.

Yes, the BIOS is on its latest version. I might be wrong, but if this is a motherboard issue, how does shutdown work properly when I try shutdown shortly after boot. I am guessing there might be something else causing this.

Last edited by itzmidinesh (2025-03-11 15:30:48)

R290 · 2025-03-11 19:13:45

Are you using a Gigabyte motherboard by any chance? If so, see this thread: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=303082. I recognize what you say about being able to shutdown cleanly after a recent reboot.

Last edited by R290 (2025-03-11 19:15:37)

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-12 05:07:41

R290 wrote:

Are you using a Gigabyte motherboard by any chance? If so, see this thread: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=303082. I recognize what you say about being able to shutdown cleanly after a recent reboot.

I have a LENOVO motherboard not Gigabyte. I have seen something related to watchdog after the journal stopped sometimes but not sure.

Xylerfox · 2025-03-12 16:02:15

itzmidinesh wrote:

Xylerfox wrote:
itzmidinesh wrote:
To answer your questions. Yes reboot works without any issues.
Strangely, if I shutdown after reboot it shuts down properly as well.
I didn't have any issues with shutdown when I was on Windows 11/10.
If reboot works properly, I'm curious if it's a motherboard issue then.
Since a reboot and shutdown invoke the same processes in the Linux Kernel, just one tells the motherboard to perform a reboot, the other as a shutdown.
If you can, try updating your motherboard's BIOS to the latest version.
Yes, the BIOS is on its latest version. I might be wrong, but if this is a motherboard issue, how does shutdown work properly when I try shutdown shortly after boot. I am guessing there might be something else causing this.

It is possible, however unlikely, that the shutdown process on first try isn't sending the right signal, but it is after a reboot.

What Linux Kernel are you using? Just the standard "Linux" package or are you using another Kernel?

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-12 16:32:30

Xylerfox wrote:

itzmidinesh wrote:
Xylerfox wrote:
If reboot works properly, I'm curious if it's a motherboard issue then.
Since a reboot and shutdown invoke the same processes in the Linux Kernel, just one tells the motherboard to perform a reboot, the other as a shutdown.
If you can, try updating your motherboard's BIOS to the latest version.
Yes, the BIOS is on its latest version. I might be wrong, but if this is a motherboard issue, how does shutdown work properly when I try shutdown shortly after boot. I am guessing there might be something else causing this.
It is possible, however unlikely, that the shutdown process on first try isn't sending the right signal, but it is after a reboot.
What Linux Kernel are you using? Just the standard "Linux" package or are you using another Kernel?

Kernel: Linux 6.13.6-arch1-1

Thanks for looking into this. Can you let me know how to check if the shutdown process is sending the right signal?

Xylerfox · 2025-03-12 16:40:19

itzmidinesh wrote:

Xylerfox wrote:
itzmidinesh wrote:
Yes, the BIOS is on its latest version. I might be wrong, but if this is a motherboard issue, how does shutdown work properly when I try shutdown shortly after boot. I am guessing there might be something else causing this.
It is possible, however unlikely, that the shutdown process on first try isn't sending the right signal, but it is after a reboot.
What Linux Kernel are you using? Just the standard "Linux" package or are you using another Kernel?
Kernel: Linux 6.13.6-arch1-1
Thanks for looking into this. Can you let me know how to check if the shutdown process is sending the right signal?

I'm not 100% sure, that part's above my knowledge.

Do make sure you have the following packages installed though:
linux-firmware
amd-ucode or intel-ucode, depending on your processor.

If all else fails, you can try running a different Linux kernel, linux-lts for example, and try running that. Install the "linux-lts" package, include a new boot option in your boot manager to be able to boot off of that kernel, and then give it a shot.

I'm trying to help ya, since I know it's frustrating when there's nobody helping. These are the checks I would do if I had your problem. However, if none of these help you, it is unfortunately above my knowledge...

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-12 17:33:51

Xylerfox wrote:

itzmidinesh wrote:
Xylerfox wrote:
It is possible, however unlikely, that the shutdown process on first try isn't sending the right signal, but it is after a reboot.
What Linux Kernel are you using? Just the standard "Linux" package or are you using another Kernel?
Kernel: Linux 6.13.6-arch1-1
Thanks for looking into this. Can you let me know how to check if the shutdown process is sending the right signal?
I'm not 100% sure, that part's above my knowledge.
Do make sure you have the following packages installed though:
linux-firmware
amd-ucode or intel-ucode, depending on your processor.
If all else fails, you can try running a different Linux kernel, linux-lts for example, and try running that. Install the "linux-lts" package, include a new boot option in your boot manager to be able to boot off of that kernel, and then give it a shot.
I'm trying to help ya, since I know it's frustrating when there's nobody helping. These are the checks I would do if I had your problem. However, if none of these help you, it is unfortunately above my knowledge...

Yeah, it’s definitely frustrating, especially since I’ve been enjoying the move to Arch. After all the effort to understand the installation and multiple retries, it’s been a journey!

I really appreciate you trying to help—means a lot. I checked, and I do have linux-firmware and intel-ucode installed.

I’ll wait a bit to see if any experienced Arch users share their insights. Thanks again!

itzmidinesh · 2025-03-13 14:42:54

I'm still facing the issue and would really appreciate any help.

Here’s the latest log from

journalctl -b -1

for the last failed shutdown: https://filebin.net/iqn21o2be16e9umy/last_boot-3.log

I love Arch, but not being able to figure out why it's stuck is pretty frustrating. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Arch Linux

#1 2025-03-11 07:53:04

Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#2 2025-03-11 12:08:28

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#3 2025-03-11 12:42:34

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#4 2025-03-11 13:00:38

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#5 2025-03-11 14:57:18

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#6 2025-03-11 15:00:39

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#7 2025-03-11 15:14:53

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#8 2025-03-11 15:16:43

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#9 2025-03-11 15:30:21

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#10 2025-03-11 19:13:45

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#11 2025-03-12 05:07:41

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#12 2025-03-12 16:02:15

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#13 2025-03-12 16:32:30

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#14 2025-03-12 16:40:19

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#15 2025-03-12 17:33:51

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

#16 2025-03-13 14:42:54

Re: Shutdown Stuck at "Reached target System Power Off"

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