killall Linux Command Guide
The Linux killall command is used to terminate processes by name, allowing for the quick and efficient termination of multiple processes at once. This command can be helpful in situations where specific processes need to be stopped without knowing their exact PIDs. By specifying the name of the process to be terminated, killall can help streamline the process management on a Linux system.
killall Syntax:
Section titled “killall Syntax:”killall [options] [process name]Options:
Section titled “Options:”| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -e | Show the argument list of the processes killed. |
| -g | Only match processes in the process group. |
| -i | Ignore case distinctions in process names. |
| -q | Be quiet; only report errors. |
| -s | Send a specified signal. |
| -v | Report if the signal is successfully sent. |
Parameters:
Section titled “Parameters:”| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| process name | Specify the name of the process to kill. |
killall Command Samples:
Section titled “killall Command Samples:”Kill all instances of a specific process
Section titled “Kill all instances of a specific process”killall firefoxThis command will terminate all running instances of the Firefox browser.
Forcefully kill all instances of a process by name
Section titled “Forcefully kill all instances of a process by name”killall -9 chromeThe -9 option sends a SIGKILL signal to forcefully terminate all instances of the Chrome browser.
Kill all instances of a specific user’s processes
Section titled “Kill all instances of a specific user’s processes”killall -u usernameThis command will terminate all processes belonging to the user “username”.
Kill all instances of a process by process ID
Section titled “Kill all instances of a process by process ID”killall -p 1234This command will terminate the process with the ID 1234.
Kill all instances of a process group
Section titled “Kill all instances of a process group”killall -g groupnameTerminates all processes that belong to the process group named “groupname”.
Quietly kill all instances of a process by name
Section titled “Quietly kill all instances of a process by name”killall -q processnameThis command will suppress the error messages that may occur while terminating all instances of the specified process.
Kill all instances of a process except for a specified one
Section titled “Kill all instances of a process except for a specified one”killall -e processnameThis command will terminate all instances of the specified process except for the one that initiated the killall command.
killall FAQ:
Section titled “killall FAQ:”How do I use killall in Linux?
Section titled “How do I use killall in Linux?”To use the killall command in Linux, execute the following command:
killall --signal <signal> <process_name>What is the purpose of killall in Linux?
Section titled “What is the purpose of killall in Linux?”The killall command is used in Linux to terminate processes by name.
How can I force kill processes with killall?
Section titled “How can I force kill processes with killall?”To force kill processes with killall, use the -9 or --signal 9 option.
killall -9 <process_name>Can killall kill multiple processes at once?
Section titled “Can killall kill multiple processes at once?”Yes, killall can terminate multiple processes at once by specifying the process names separated by spaces.
killall <process_name1> <process_name2>How do I selectively kill processes by user with killall?
Section titled “How do I selectively kill processes by user with killall?”To selectively kill processes by a specific user with killall, use the -u or --user option followed by the username.
killall --user <username> <process_name>Is there a way to quiet killall output?
Section titled “Is there a way to quiet killall output?”Yes, you can suppress the output of killall by using the -q or --quiet option.
killall --quiet <process_name>Applications of the killall command
Section titled “Applications of the killall command”- Killing a process by name
- Sending a signal to multiple processes by specifying a name
- Terminating all instances of a specific program
- Forcefully stopping multiple processes with the same name