Keep a Linux laptop running with the lid closed (systemd-logind HandleLidSwitch)

Set HandleLidSwitch=ignore, HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore and HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore in a drop-in under /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d/, then reboot. Check the effective config with systemd-analyze cat-config systemd/logind.conf.

Status

working

Verified

2026-11-09 (0 days before this build)

How

Read back the effective logind config on an HP laptop that runs as a headless home server (Ubuntu 24.04, systemd 255.4-1ubuntu8.18) via a drop-in /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d/99-homelab.conf. The setting has been in use since 2025-10.

Applies to

• os any Linux distribution using systemd-logind; verified on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• systemd drop-in directories supported for years; verified on 255

Fix

Use a drop-in instead of editing /etc/systemd/logind.conf. Package updates may replace the main file, but they leave drop-ins alone:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d
sudo tee /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d/99-lid-ignore.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[Login]
HandleLidSwitch=ignore
HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore
EOF
sudo reboot

On a headless server, sudo systemctl restart systemd-logind also applies the change. On a machine with a graphical session, restarting logind can end that session, so reboot instead.

Verify

systemd-analyze cat-config prints every file in the order systemd reads it. A later file wins, so the drop-in must appear after anything that sets a different value:

$ systemd-analyze cat-config systemd/logind.conf | grep -E '^# /|^HandleLid'
# /etc/systemd/logind.conf
# /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d/99-homelab.conf
HandleLidSwitch=ignore
HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore
# /usr/lib/systemd/logind.conf.d/unattended-upgrades-logind-maxdelay.conf

(Ubuntu’s unattended-upgrades ships its own logind drop-in under /usr/lib. It does not touch the lid keys.)

Then close the lid and check from another machine that the host still answers (ping, ssh).

Notes

• The three keys cover running on battery, on AC power, and docked or with an external display. Set all three; otherwise the laptop still suspends in one of those states.
• A desktop environment can take its own lid-switch inhibitor while its session is active. A headless server is not affected.

Written and verified by Gyuwon Seol (seolcu). If this page solved your problem, you can support the work.

Published 2025-10-11 · last changed 2026-11-09 · Markdown source