Check if System Reboot is Required on Ubuntu

Determining whether an Ubuntu system needs to be rebooted can be helpful after installing system updates or upgrading important packages. Ubuntu provides a simple indicator that can be checked to determine whether a reboot is pending. This tutorial demonstrates how to check if system reboot is required on Ubuntu.

A straightforward approach is to check for the /var/run/reboot-required file. Ubuntu creates this file when certain system changes require a reboot before they become fully active.

Run the following command to check the reboot status:

test -f /var/run/reboot-required && echo 'Reboot required' || echo 'Reboot not required'

If a reboot is pending, the command will return Reboot required.