---
name: "shutdown"
section: "2"
platform: "linux"
package: "man-pages"
version: "6.19-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/shutdown/2"
---

# shutdown(2)

shut down part of a full-duplex connection

## NAME

shutdown - shut down part of a full-duplex connection

## LIBRARY

Standard C library (*libc*, *-lc*)

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <sys/socket.h>
```

**int shutdown(int** *sockfd***, int** *how***);**

## DESCRIPTION

The **shutdown**() call causes all or part of a full-duplex connection on the socket associated with *sockfd* to be shut down. If *how* is **SHUT\_RD**, further receptions will be disallowed. If *how* is **SHUT\_WR**, further transmissions will be disallowed. If *how* is **SHUT\_RDWR**, further receptions and transmissions will be disallowed.

## RETURN VALUE

On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned, and *errno* is set to indicate the error.

## ERRORS

- **EBADF**

  *sockfd* is not a valid file descriptor.

- **EINVAL**

  An invalid value was specified in *how* (but see BUGS).

- **ENOTCONN**

  The specified socket is not connected.

- **ENOTSOCK**

  The file descriptor *sockfd* does not refer to a socket.

## STANDARDS

POSIX.1-2024.

## HISTORY

POSIX.1-2001, 4.4BSD (first appeared in 4.2BSD).

## NOTES

The constants **SHUT\_RD**, **SHUT\_WR**, **SHUT\_RDWR** have the value 0, 1, 2, respectively, and are defined in *\<sys/socket.h\>* since glibc-2.1.91.

## BUGS

Checks for the validity of *how* are done in domain-specific code, and before Linux 3.7 not all domains performed these checks. Most notably, UNIX domain sockets simply ignored invalid values. This problem was fixed for UNIX domain sockets in Linux 3.7.

## SEE ALSO

[**close**(2)](/close/2.md), [**connect**(2)](/connect/2.md), [**socket**(2)](/socket/2.md), [**socket**(7)](/socket/7.md)