How To Quit Screen Linux

For those who are new to the Linux command line interface, using the Linux Screen can be a bit challenging. One of the most common questions asked by beginners is: “How do I quit a Screen session?” In this blog post, we are going to walk you through the process of quitting a Screen session on Linux.

What is Linux Screen?

Before we delve into the details, let’s quickly understand what Linux Screen is. Screen is a full-screen window manager that multiplexes a physical terminal between several processes (typically interactive shells). In other words, it allows you to run multiple terminal commands within one terminal window, switch between them, and detach them from the current session.

Quitting a Linux Screen Session

To quit a Screen session, you need to understand that it involves two steps: detaching from the session and then killing it. Let’s break it down:

1. Detaching from a Screen Session

To detach from a screen session, all you need to do is press Ctrl+a followed by d. This command detaches the screen session but leaves it running in the background.

2. Killing a Screen Session

If you want to quit a Screen session completely, you need to terminate it. After detaching from the session, you can use the following command to list all your current Screen sessions:

    screen -ls
    

This will output a list of all your Screen sessions. Each session will have an ID that you can use to kill a specific session. To kill a Screen session, you use the following command:

    screen -X -S [session ID] quit
    

Replace [session ID] with the ID of the session you want to quit.

Conclusion

Using Linux Screen can significantly boost your productivity by allowing you to run and manage multiple terminal commands within a single window. However, it’s important to know how to effectively manage these sessions, including how to quit them when you’re done. We hope this guide has been helpful in learning how to quit a Screen session on Linux. Happy coding!