pkill commandython scripts can be run in the background, which means they will continue to run even after you close your terminal or command prompt. This can be useful for long-running tasks that you don’t want to monitor constantly. However, there might be instances when you want to stop a background Python script from running, for example when the script is taking up too many resources or if you simply want to stop the process altogether.
In this blog post, we will discuss different ways to stop a Python script running in the background.
1. Using the ‘kill’ Command
The kill command can be used to stop a running process on both Linux and macOS. To use the kill command, you first need the process ID (PID) of the Python script. You can find the PID of a running Python script using the ps command followed by grep to filter the results. Run the following command in your terminal:
ps -aux | grep python
This command will display a list of all Python processes currently running on your computer. Look for your script’s name in the command column, and note down the PID number in the second column.
To stop the Python script, use the kill command followed by the PID number:
kill <pid>
Replace <PID> with the actual process ID of the Python script you want to stop.
2. Using the ‘pkill’ Command
The pkill command can be used to stop a running process based on its name. This command is available on Linux and macOS. To stop a Python script using its name, run the following command in your terminal:
pkill -f script_name.py
Replace script_name.py with the actual name of the Python script you want to stop.
3. Using Task Manager on Windows
To stop a Python script running in the background on Windows, you can use the Task Manager. Follow these steps:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
- Click on the “Processes” tab.
- Look for the Python process running your script. It will usually be listed as python.exe or pythonw.exe.
- Click on the process, and then click on the “End task” button to stop the Python script.
4. Using the ‘taskkill’ Command on Windows
You can also stop a Python script running in the background on Windows using the taskkill command. To do this, you first need the process ID (PID) of the Python script. You can find the PID using the tasklist command in the command prompt. Run the following command:
tasklist | findstr python
This command will display a list of all Python processes currently running on your computer. Note down the PID number in the second column.
To stop the Python script, use the taskkill command followed by the PID number:
taskkill /PID <pid> /F
Replace <PID> with the actual process ID of the Python script you want to stop.
Conclusion
Stopping a Python script running in the background can be done using various methods depending on your operating system. The ‘kill’ and ‘pkill’ commands are suitable for Linux and macOS, while the Task Manager and ‘taskkill’ command can be used on Windows. Now you know how to stop a Python script running in the background whenever you need to.
