---
name: "systemd-logind.service"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "systemd"
version: "262.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/systemd-logind.service"
---

# systemd-logind.service(8)

Login manager

## NAME

systemd-logind.service, systemd-logind - Login manager

## SYNOPSIS

systemd-logind.service

/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-logind

## DESCRIPTION

**systemd-logind** is a system service that manages user logins. It is responsible for:

• Keeping track of users and sessions, their processes and their idle state. This is implemented by allocating a systemd slice unit for each user below user.slice, and a scope unit below it for each concurrent session of a user. Also, a per-user service manager is started as system service instance of user@.service for each logged in user.

• Generating and managing session IDs. If auditing is available and an audit session ID is already set for a session, then this ID is reused as the session ID. Otherwise, an independent session counter is used.

• Providing **polkit**\[1\]-based access for users for operations such as system shutdown or sleep

• Implementing a shutdown/sleep inhibition logic for applications

• Handling of power/sleep hardware keys

• Multi-seat management

• Session switch management

• Device access management for users

• Automatic spawning of text logins (gettys) on virtual console activation and user runtime directory management

• Scheduled shutdown

• Sending "wall" messages

User sessions are registered with logind via the [**pam\_systemd**(8)](/pam_systemd/8.md) PAM module.

See [**logind.conf**(5)](/logind.conf/5.md) for information about the configuration of this service.

See [**sd-login**(3)](/sd-login/3.md) for information about the basic concepts of logind such as users, sessions and seats.

See [**org.freedesktop.login1**(5)](/org.freedesktop.login1/5.md) and [**org.freedesktop.LogControl1**(5)](/org.freedesktop.LogControl1/5.md) for information about the D-Bus APIs systemd-logind provides.

In addition to the D-Bus interface, systemd-logind also provides a Varlink interface **io.systemd.Shutdown** for shutting down or rebooting the system. It supports **PowerOff**, **Reboot**, **Halt**, **KExec**, and **SoftReboot** methods. Each method accepts an optional *skipInhibitors* boolean parameter to bypass active block inhibitors (matching the **SD\_LOGIND\_SKIP\_INHIBITORS** flag of the D-Bus interface). The interface can be queried with **varlinkctl introspect /run/systemd/io.systemd.Login io.systemd.Shutdown**.

For more information see **Inhibitor Locks**\[2\].

If you are interested in writing a display manager that makes use of logind, please have look at **Writing Display Managers**\[3\]. If you are interested in writing a desktop environment that makes use of logind, please have look at **Writing Desktop Environments**\[4\].

## SIGNAL

**SIGHUP**

Reloads the service configuration file.

## SEE ALSO

[**systemd**(1)](/systemd/1.md), [**systemd-user-sessions.service**(8)](/systemd-user-sessions.service/8.md), [**loginctl**(1)](/loginctl/1.md), [**logind.conf**(5)](/logind.conf/5.md), [**pam\_systemd**(8)](/pam_systemd/8.md), [**sd-login**(3)](/sd-login/3.md), [**org.freedesktop.login1**(5)](/org.freedesktop.login1/5.md)

## NOTES

- 1\.

  polkit

  https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/polkit

- 2\.

  Inhibitor Locks

  https://systemd.io/INHIBITOR\_LOCKS

- 3\.

  Writing Display Managers

  https://systemd.io/WRITING\_DISPLAY\_MANAGERS

- 4\.

  Writing Desktop Environments

  https://systemd.io/WRITING\_DESKTOP\_ENVIRONMENTS