Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIf a Linux service starts when you run systemctl start UNIT.service but is absent after reboot, troubleshoot two separate questions: is the unit enabled for the boot target, and did its most recent boot attempt fail? Enablement is persistent; starting is normally only for the current boot. Use sudo systemctl enable --now UNIT.service when you want both, then inspect the boot evidence with systemctl status and journalctl -u UNIT.service -b --no-pager.
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The commands below identify whether the problem is missing enablement, target ordering, a boot-time environment difference, an executable or configuration error, a timeout, or an intentional Condition*/Assert* skip. Preserve the output before changing the unit so the original failure is not lost.
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1. Separate “start now” from “start at boot”
systemd treats an immediate start and boot enablement as different operations. The distinction explains most cases where a service works manually but not after a restart.
| Command | What it does | When it takes effect |
|---|---|---|
sudo systemctl start UNIT.service |
Starts the unit and its required transaction if possible. | The current boot only; it does not install a boot relationship. |
sudo systemctl enable UNIT.service |
Uses the unit’s [Install] section to create the relationship that pulls it in through a target. |
Future boots after the enable operation; it does not normally start the unit immediately. |
sudo systemctl enable --now UNIT.service |
Enables the unit and starts it immediately. | Current boot and subsequent boots. |
sudo systemctl is-enabled UNIT.service |
Reports whether the unit has an enablement state such as enabled, disabled, or a related static state. | Reads the persistent boot configuration. |
sudo systemctl is-active UNIT.service |
Reports whether the unit is currently running. | Reads the current runtime state. |
Enabling is based on declarations in [Install], commonly a WantedBy= target. On boot, systemd activates default.target; that target brings in other units through dependencies. A unit can therefore be enabled yet fail during activation, or be healthy when started manually yet never be part of the boot transaction.
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2. Capture the failed boot before making changes
Run this sequence as the affected account with sudo where required. Replace UNIT.service with the actual unit name, and save the output to a file or terminal log.
-
sudo systemctl status UNIT.serviceRead the loaded state, active state, main process, exit status, recent log lines, and any dependency or condition message.
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sudo journalctl -u UNIT.service -b --no-pagerRead every journal entry for that unit from the current boot. This is usually the most direct explanation of a failed start.
-
sudo journalctl -b --no-pagerRead the complete current-boot journal when the unit log refers to another service, mount, socket, or target.
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sudo systemctl is-enabled UNIT.serviceConfirm the persistent enablement state rather than assuming an earlier manual start changed it.
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sudo systemctl is-active UNIT.serviceCheck whether the unit is currently active after any partial boot or manual test.
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sudo systemctl cat UNIT.serviceInspect the loaded unit and any drop-in fragments, including
[Install], dependency directives, identity, working directory, command, and conditions. -
sudo systemctl list-dependencies default.targetCheck what the normal boot target actually pulls into its transaction.
Look for an explicit exit code, “No such file or directory,” permission denial, an unavailable socket or mount, a timeout, a dependency failure, or a message emitted by the service itself. Do not erase a failed state with repeated restarts until you have recorded the first boot’s evidence.
3. Verify that boot will pull the unit in
Check the enablement result
systemctl is-enabled answers whether an enablement relationship exists. If it reports disabled, enable the unit and then start it with sudo systemctl enable --now UNIT.service. If the unit has no install information and is intended to be brought in by another unit, it may be static; in that case, inspect the unit that is supposed to require or want it rather than forcing an enablement that the unit does not define.
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Inspect the install declaration
In systemctl cat UNIT.service, find the [Install] section. A WantedBy= or RequiredBy= entry identifies the target or unit that enabling will connect to. Enabling does not rewrite the unit file; it creates the relationships described there. If you edit this section, run sudo systemctl reenable UNIT.service so old symlinks are removed and the current declaration is applied.
Trace the normal boot target
sudo systemctl list-dependencies default.target shows the dependency tree for the target activated at boot. If the service is not reachable from that tree, it will not be started merely because its file exists in /etc/systemd/system. Check the target named by the unit’s install section and confirm that it is the system’s active default target.
4. Understand dependency and ordering directives
Two different mechanisms are often confused:
- Pull-in relationships:
Wants=andRequires=add another unit to the transaction.Requires=expresses a stronger relationship: if the required unit cannot be activated, the requiring transaction is affected. - Ordering relationships:
After=andBefore=sequence jobs that are already in the same transaction. They do not pull a unit in by themselves.
Adding After=network-online.target, for example, does not make a service depend on that target unless another directive also includes it. Conversely, adding Wants=some-mount.target does not guarantee that the mount job completes first unless an ordering relationship exists. Add a specific ordering edge only when the service genuinely needs that resource ready before its command runs; broad ordering changes can lengthen boot or hide the real dependency.
Use systemd’s timing views
sudo systemd-analyze blamelists units that consumed the most activation time and can reveal a timeout that makes the service appear to be skipped.sudo systemd-analyze critical-chainshows the chain that determined when the target became ready, helping identify an incorrectly ordered prerequisite.sudo systemd-analyze plot > boot.svgwrites a boot timeline that can be opened in a browser for a visual view of overlapping and serialized jobs.
These tools diagnose timing; they do not replace the unit’s journal. A slow prerequisite, failed mount, or network job should be fixed at its source rather than masked with arbitrary delays.
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A login shell and a systemd service do not start with the same context. A shell may supply a PATH, a current directory, exported variables, credentials, and user mounts that are absent during early boot.
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Identity and permissions
Read the unit’s User= and group settings. Verify that this account can read the configuration, traverse every parent directory, access certificates or keys, create its runtime files, and bind the requested socket or port. A command that succeeds as an administrator in a terminal can fail when systemd launches it as an unprivileged service account.
Working directory and paths
Use an absolute executable path in ExecStart=; do not rely on the interactive shell’s PATH. Confirm that WorkingDirectory= exists at boot and that relative configuration or data paths resolve there. If a program expects a file created by another unit, express that relationship with the appropriate dependency and ordering directives instead of assuming the file will already exist.
Environment variables and configuration
Compare the variables present in the successful manual invocation with those available to the service. Put required values in the unit’s environment configuration or in the service’s documented configuration file, rather than depending on a shell profile. Check that configuration paths are absolute and readable at the moment the unit starts.
Sockets, mounts, and devices
Confirm that a required filesystem is mounted, a socket endpoint exists, and any device or directory created by another boot job is ready. The journal normally names the missing path or failed prerequisite. If the service must wait for a specific mount, make that mount an explicit requirement and order the service after it.
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| Failure class | Evidence to look for | Focused response |
|---|---|---|
| Disabled or not pulled in | is-enabled reports disabled, or the unit is absent from the default.target dependency tree. |
Correct the [Install] relationship or the parent target, then use enable --now and verify both enabled and active states. |
| Dependency or ordering problem | The journal names a failed prerequisite, missing mount, unavailable socket, or a race; timing tools show the prerequisite late in the critical chain. | Fix the prerequisite and add only the necessary Wants=/Requires= and After=/Before= relationships. |
| Environment or permission mismatch | “Permission denied,” an inaccessible configuration, a wrong user, a missing variable, or a path that works only from a shell. | Set the correct user, absolute paths, working directory, permissions, and service environment. |
| Executable or configuration error | Non-zero exit status, missing executable, invalid option, malformed configuration, or a service-specific error in the journal. | Correct the command or configuration, validate it with the program’s own checks when available, then restart. |
| Timeout | The unit remains activating until systemd reports a timeout, often with a slow prerequisite in blame or critical-chain. |
Find the blocked operation and fix it; increase a timeout only when the longer startup is intentional and understood. |
| Condition or assertion skip | The unit is not marked as a conventional crash; the status or journal indicates a failed Condition* or Assert*. |
Determine whether the condition is expected on this machine. Correct the missing prerequisite or adjust the condition deliberately; do not treat an intentional skip as a crash. |
7. Validate unit edits correctly
Editing a unit file does not automatically make the running system read it. Use this order:
-
Validate the file:
sudo systemd-analyze verify /etc/systemd/system/UNIT.serviceUse the distribution’s equivalent unit path when the file is stored elsewhere. Fix syntax, unknown directives, and referenced-file errors reported by the verifier.
-
Reload systemd’s configuration:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload -
Restart the unit:
sudo systemctl restart UNIT.service -
Read the new result:
sudo systemctl status UNIT.service
sudo journalctl -u UNIT.service -b --no-pager -
If you changed
[Install], refresh its links:sudo systemctl reenable UNIT.serviceThen start it again or use
enable --now.
For a unit-local customization, keep the change in a drop-in rather than copying and permanently diverging a vendor unit. Changes to the boot target, mounts, or global ordering have a wider scope and a higher recovery risk, so test those separately.
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Use rescue mode for a fuller repair environment
At the boot loader, edit the Linux command line and append systemd.unit=rescue.target. Rescue mode starts a limited environment suitable for inspecting units, mounts, and configuration while avoiding the normal multi-user boot workload.
Use emergency mode for a minimal shell
If rescue mode itself cannot be reached, append systemd.unit=emergency.target. Emergency mode provides a minimal shell. The root filesystem may be mounted read-only, so remount it before editing:
mount -o remount,rw /Repair the unit or related /etc/fstab data, run systemd-analyze verify against edited unit files, and reload systemd:
systemctl daemon-reloadRemove the temporary kernel parameter before the next normal boot. If you enabled a debugging shell or otherwise weakened startup checks, disable that temporary aid after the repair.
9. Reboot and verify the fix
A successful manual restart proves only that the current environment can start the service. Perform a clean reboot to test the original failure path.
- Before rebooting, run
systemctl is-enabled UNIT.serviceand confirm the intended persistent state. - Reboot normally.
- After login, run
systemctl is-active UNIT.serviceandsystemctl status UNIT.service. - Read
journalctl -u UNIT.service -b --no-pagerfor the new boot. - If it still fails, compare the new journal with the saved pre-change output and revisit the first failing prerequisite rather than adding more ordering directives.
The verification is complete only when the service is both enabled for the boot target and active after a clean reboot, with no unresolved dependency, permission, timeout, or condition message.
Quick Recap
10. A compact decision path
Use this order to avoid changing the wrong layer:
- Is it enabled? If not, correct
[Install]or the parent target and enable it. - Was it attempted? If it is enabled but absent from the boot transaction, inspect
default.targetdependencies and the install target. - Did it fail? Read
statusand the current-boot unit journal for the first concrete error. - Does it need something first? Trace mounts, sockets, network prerequisites, and ordering with the dependency and timing tools.
- Does boot provide the same context as your shell? Check user, directory, absolute paths, permissions, configuration, and environment.
- Did you reload after editing? Verify, run
daemon-reload, reenable if the install section changed, restart, and reboot-test.
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