My shutdown stops and takes a long time.
Is there a way to see what is taking so long?
I suspect it has to do with networking.
I can’t ping the computer from my laptop but the desktop seems to be ok from that end.
If I remember correctly, pressing the Esc key during the shutdown process will display all of the shutdown sequence in text. Sometimes there is a process (?) that takes about 1mm30ss to terminate.
I’m pretty sure something is timing out.
The graphic stops spinning for a while and then eventually it shuts down.
I tried all the function keys, I’ll try escape.
It is waiting for plymouthd.
I moved your post to Support and Help and added tags.
Please note that the category Flavors is for discussion not technical support.
It also goes without saying that we need more information.
Which version is installed, when did this start, have you checked logs, what error messages can you see, have you tried booting in recovery mode?
lUbuntu 25.04 is installed.
I don’t when it started.
A long time ago, I haven’t bothered to report it.
If it was the startup I would have asked sooner. 
I found these instructions: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Plymouth
I did:
sudo plymouth --ping && echo plymouth is running || echo plymouth NOT running
and it says it is not running.
That would explain the timeout if is waiting for it to stop.
When you are on the desktop, I assume startup is normal, please run the following commands and post them with code tags.
You add code tags by pasting the text, highlighting it, and then use either </> on the ribbon or Ctrl + E on the keyboard.
systemd-analyze blame
journalctl -b -1 -e
Post the output separately please.
Thanks.
I think plymouthd was not the problem.
I think it is virtualbox or nut (UPS).
$ systemd-analyze blame
4.126s nmbd.service
1.538s snapd.seeded.service
1.506s fwupd-refresh.service
1.473s snapd.service
1.226s fwupd.service
1.196s NetworkManager.service
962ms snapd.apparmor.service
907ms systemd-binfmt.service
316ms lm-sensors.service
265ms blueman-mechanism.service
236ms dev-nvme0n1p2.device
217ms plymouth-read-write.service
184ms user@1000.service
175ms cups.service
155ms udisks2.service
149ms systemd-udev-trigger.service
121ms systemd-journal-flush.service
106ms mnt-USB_backup.mount
101ms apparmor.service
101ms avahi-daemon.service
99ms smbd.service
96ms winbind.service
96ms polkit.service
96ms dbus.service
88ms rsyslog.service
88ms update-notifier-download.service
88ms accounts-daemon.service
85ms nut-driver-enumerator.service
85ms switcheroo-control.service
82ms upower.service
81ms hdd\x2dstorage.mount
77ms mnt-media\x2dfiles.mount
77ms mnt-rpi4.mount
73ms mnt-seagate_backup.mount
73ms systemd-journald.service
73ms systemd-udevd.service
70ms virtualbox.service
69ms media-hdd\x2dstorage.mount
68ms ModemManager.service
53ms systemd-logind.service
52ms plymouth-start.service
52ms systemd-hostnamed.service
48ms systemd-resolved.service
46ms systemd-tmpfiles-setup.service
45ms lvm2-monitor.service
44ms boot-efi.mount
42ms home.mount
42ms colord.service
41ms nvmf-autoconnect.service
39ms pwrstatd.service
36ms proc-sys-fs-binfmt_misc.mount
35ms binfmt-support.service
34ms nut-server.service
34ms grub-common.service
34ms keyboard-setup.service
33ms grub-initrd-fallback.service
33ms systemd-fsck@dev-disk-by\x2duuid-812C\x2dB4BC.service
31ms systemd-timesyncd.service
30ms thermald.service
29ms plymouth-quit.service
28ms console-setup.service
27ms pulseaudio-enable-autospawn.service
26ms rtkit-daemon.service
26ms dev-loop7.device
26ms snapd.socket
25ms sysfsutils.service
25ms dev-loop6.device
25ms snap-bare-5.mount
25ms sysstat-collect.service
25ms systemd-modules-load.service
25ms dev-loop3.device
24ms dev-loop5.device
23ms dev-loop4.device
23ms snap-core20-2582.mount
23ms systemd-rfkill.service
22ms dev-loop2.device
22ms snap-core20-2599.mount
22ms modprobe@sd_mod.service
22ms wpa_supplicant.service
22ms kerneloops.service
21ms sysstat.service
21ms snap-core22-2010.mount
21ms dev-loop1.device
20ms snap-core22-2045.mount
19ms snap-gnome\x2d3\x2d38\x2d2004-112.mount
19ms alsa-restore.service
19ms e2scrub_reap.service
19ms snap-gnome\x2d3\x2d38\x2d2004-143.mount
18ms openvpn.service
18ms snap-gnome\x2d42\x2d2204-176.mount
17ms systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev-early.service
17ms user-runtime-dir@1000.service
17ms snap-gnome\x2d42\x2d2204-202.mount
17ms dev-hugepages.mount
17ms systemd-remount-fs.service
16ms vsftpd.service
16ms dev-mqueue.mount
16ms snap-gtk\x2dcommon\x2dthemes-1535.mount
16ms run-lock.mount
15ms modprobe@efi_pstore.service
15ms dev-loop9.device
15ms sys-kernel-debug.mount
15ms snap-snapd-24718.mount
15ms sys-kernel-tracing.mount
14ms dev-loop8.device
14ms dev-loop0.device
14ms snap-snapd-24792.mount
14ms dev-loop10.device
13ms tmp.mount
13ms xrdp-sesman.service
11ms dev-loop11.device
11ms systemd-sysctl.service
11ms kmod-static-nodes.service
11ms blk-availability.service
10ms modprobe@configfs.service
10ms modprobe@drm.service
9ms modprobe@fuse.service
9ms systemd-udev-load-credentials.service
9ms modprobe@nvme_fabrics.service
9ms systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev.service
8ms xrdp.service
8ms systemd-random-seed.service
6ms nut-monitor.service
5ms systemd-user-sessions.service
5ms setvtrgb.service
5ms sddm.service
4ms ufw.service
4ms sys-kernel-config.mount
3ms sys-fs-fuse-connections.mount
$ journalctl -b -1 -e
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted snap-gnome\x2d3\x2d38\x2d2004-112.mount - Mount unit for g>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: snap-gnome\x2d3\x2d38\x2d2004-143.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted snap-gnome\x2d3\x2d38\x2d2004-143.mount - Mount unit for g>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: snap-gnome\x2d42\x2d2204-176.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted snap-gnome\x2d42\x2d2204-176.mount - Mount unit for gnome->
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: snap-gnome\x2d42\x2d2204-202.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted snap-gnome\x2d42\x2d2204-202.mount - Mount unit for gnome->
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: snap-gtk\x2dcommon\x2dthemes-1535.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted snap-gtk\x2dcommon\x2dthemes-1535.mount - Mount unit for g>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: snap-snapd-24718.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted snap-snapd-24718.mount - Mount unit for snapd, revision 24>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: snap-snapd-24792.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted snap-snapd-24792.mount - Mount unit for snapd, revision 24>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: tmp.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted tmp.mount - Temporary Directory /tmp.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped target snapd.mounts-pre.target - Mounting snaps.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped target swap.target - Swaps.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: systemd-fsck@dev-disk-by\x2duuid-812C\x2dB4BC.service: Deactivated s>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped systemd-fsck@dev-disk-by\x2duuid-812C\x2dB4BC.service - File>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Removed slice system-systemd\x2dfsck.slice - Slice /system/systemd-f>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah kernel: EXT4-fs (nvme0n1p3): unmounting filesystem c5615160-fd79-49b2-aaa8-55ba0>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: home.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted home.mount - /home.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: media-hdd\x2dstorage.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted media-hdd\x2dstorage.mount - /media/hdd-storage.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: mnt-seagate_backup.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Unmounted mnt-seagate_backup.mount - /mnt/seagate_backup.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped target local-fs-pre.target - Preparation for Local File Syst>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Reached target umount.target - Unmount All Filesystems.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopping lvm2-monitor.service - Monitoring of LVM2 mirrors, snapshot>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: systemd-remount-fs.service: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped systemd-remount-fs.service - Remount Root and Kernel File Sy>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev.service: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev.service - Create Static Device No>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev-early.service: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped systemd-tmpfiles-setup-dev-early.service - Create Static Dev>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: lvm2-monitor.service: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Stopped lvm2-monitor.service - Monitoring of LVM2 mirrors, snapshots>
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Reached target shutdown.target - System Shutdown.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Reached target final.target - Late Shutdown Services.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: systemd-reboot.service: Deactivated successfully.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Finished systemd-reboot.service - System Reboot.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Reached target reboot.target - System Reboot.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd[1]: Shutting down.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd-shutdown[1]: Syncing filesystems and block devices.
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd-shutdown[1]: Sending SIGTERM to remaining processes...
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd-journald[384]: Received SIGTERM from PID 1 (systemd-shutdow).
Aug 10 00:55:41 cheetah systemd-journald[384]: Journal stopped
We can check the logs again to try and narrow it down:
journalctl -b -1 -u nut-server.service -u nut-driver-enumerator.service -u nut-monitor.service | grep -i 'stop job\|stopping\|timeout\|failed'
journalctl -b -1 -u virtualbox.service | grep -i 'stop job\|stopping\|timeout\|failed'
I do not see anything related to plymouth in the previous output so that may not have anything to do with the slower shutdown times.
After clicking Shutdown, press Esc
You should see text output and, hopefully, it may be easier to identify where the shutdown process hesitates?
IF when you press ESC to see the output of messages, and the last line says “a stop job is running…” with a counter counting to 1 min 30 sec, this wait time can be adjusted if you cannot address the cause of the delay. I also see this type of delay occasionally.
To adjust the time you need to edit the file
/etc/systemd/system.conf
In Ubuntu there is a line which reads:
#DefaultTimeoutStopSec=90s
90 sec is Ubuntu’s default wait time for a stop job to complete. If it hasn’t completed by then, the system shuts down anyway. Fedora has this set to 45 sec, so it is probably safe to edit this line and change 90s to that (45s). Editing requires root privileges. You must also remove the # at the start of the line and then save the file. Restart you computer for this change to take effect.
That seems like an overly broad sledgehammer. If only one or two units are slow to stop, it would be better to sudo systemctl edit <unit> and set only the specific unit(s) TimeoutStopSec to a lower number.
For more info see
- description of
TimeoutStopSec=inman systemd.service man systemctl
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