# How to restart Pwnagotchi

A guide to the ways to restart Pwnagotchi

Published: 2025-07-22
Tags: hacking, maker, hardware, iot

---
Restarting your Pwnagotchi can help resolve issues or apply new configurations. There are a few ways to do this, depending on your situation.

## Using SSH to restart Pwnagotchi

The most common way to restart your Pwnagotchi is via **SSH**.

1. **Connect via SSH**: Open your terminal and connect to your Pwnagotchi. Replace `your_pwnagotchi_ip` with your device's IP address. The default password is `raspberry` if you haven't changed it.

```sh
ssh pi@your_pwnagotchi_ip
```

If you didn't change the default settings and followed the official tutorial, this is the SSH command:

```sh
ssh pi@10.0.0.2
```

2. **Restart the service**: Once connected, you can restart the Pwnagotchi service using `systemctl`. This is the recommended way as it gracefully stops and starts the service.

```sh
sudo systemctl restart pwnagotchi
```

3. **Check if Pwnagotchi is running**

```sh
sudo systemctl status pwnagotchi
```

## Using `pwnkill` to Stop and Start

If you want to explicitly stop and then start the Pwnagotchi service, you can use **pwnkill**. This command is often used for debugging or ensuring a clean restart.

1. **Connect via SSH**: First, connect to your Pwnagotchi via SSH as described above.

2. **Restart the service**:

```sh
sudo pwnkill
```

3. **Check if Pwnagotchi is running**

```sh
sudo systemctl status pwnagotchi
```

## If SSH is not available

If for some reason you cannot access your Pwnagotchi via SSH (e.g., the network is down, or the device is unresponsive), you have a few options:

1. **Physical Reboot (Power Cycle)**

The simplest method is to unplug the Pwnagotchi from its power source, wait a few seconds, and then plug it back in. This performs a hard reboot. While effective, it should be a last resort as it doesn't gracefully shut down the system.

2. **Connect a Screen and Keyboard**

If your Pwnagotchi setup allows, you might be able to connect a mini HDMI display and a USB keyboard directly to the Raspberry Pi. This will give you a console interface to log in and troubleshoot or restart.

Once you see the login prompt, enter your username and password.

Then, you can use the `sudo systemctl restart pwnagotchi` command as described above.

## Important

Remember to be careful when power cycling your device, as improper shutdowns can sometimes lead to SD card corruption.