Windows taskkill /f /im equivalent in Linux
Terminates matching processes with SIGKILL.
taskkill /f /im
pkill -9 PROCESS
pkill -9 PROCESS
pkill -9 PROCESS
Overview
What this command does
On Windows, "taskkill /f /im" is used to force-kill process by name. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "pkill -9 PROCESS". Terminates matching processes with SIGKILL. This reference is grouped under Services & Processes → Processes.
Windows → Linux context
What changes when you use this on Linux?
Equivalent task, different tool
Windows taskkill /f /im maps to pkill -9 PROCESS for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.
Portable across the compared distros
The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows use the same command in this mapping. Package availability or defaults can still vary, so check the installed tool version when an option behaves differently.
For the broader concept behind this mapping, read Linux services and processes.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Force-kill process by name
Terminates matching processes with SIGKILL.
pkill -9 PROCESS
Force-kill process by name
pkill --help
Show command help when supported
man pkill
Open the manual page when installed
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
pkill -9 PROCESS
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows equivalent: taskkill /f /im
pkill -9 PROCESSReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
pkill -9 PROCESS | Force-kill process by name |
pkill --help | Show command help when supported |
man pkill | Open the manual page when installed |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "pkill -9 PROCESS" for this mapping. The command syntax shown here is portable across the three rows, although installed versions and system defaults can still vary.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | pkill -9 PROCESS |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | pkill -9 PROCESS |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | pkill -9 PROCESS |
Same command on this distribution. |
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