Changing Systemd Boot Target in Linux

Systemd Boot Targets

Systemd has replaced the traditional init system on most modern Linux distributions. With it came a shift in terminology—what used to be “runlevels” are now called “targets.” Understanding how to work with targets is essential for managing your system’s boot behavior and switching between different operational states.

Systemd Targets vs Init Runlevels

If you’re familiar with the old /etc/inittab runlevel system, here’s how systemd targets map to those legacy runlevels:

Runlevel	Systemd Target	Purpose
0	poweroff.target	Shutdown
1	rescue.target	Single-user mode
2, 3, 4	multi-user.target	Multi-user, no GUI
5	graphical.target	Multi-user with GUI
6	reboot.target	Reboot

The two most commonly used targets are:

• multi-user.target: Text-mode operation without a graphical interface
• graphical.target: Full desktop environment with X11/Wayland

Checking Your Current Target

Before making changes, it’s useful to see what target your system is currently set to:

systemctl get-default

This shows the default boot target. To see the currently active target:

systemctl list-units --type target --all

Switching to a Different Target Without Rebooting

You can change the active target immediately using isolate. This starts the specified target and its dependencies while stopping all others:

sudo systemctl isolate multi-user.target

Or to switch to graphical mode:

sudo systemctl isolate graphical.target

The isolate command is equivalent to changing runlevels with init 3 in traditional init systems. Note that isolating graphical.target from multi-user.target will start your display manager and X11/Wayland session, while isolating multi-user.target from graphical.target will stop your graphical environment and return you to a text login.

Be aware that isolate may interrupt running services. Use it cautiously in production environments.

Setting the Default Boot Target

To make a target the default for future boots, use set-default:

sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target

Or for graphical mode:

sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

Verify the change took effect:

systemctl get-default

You only need to run set-default once. The enable command is not necessary for targets—set-default handles both setting the symlink and managing the default target properly.

Switching to Rescue Mode

If you need to troubleshoot or perform system maintenance, you can boot into rescue.target:

sudo systemctl isolate rescue.target

This is similar to single-user mode in traditional init systems. It provides a minimal environment with only essential services running and requires the root password to proceed. You can also reboot directly into rescue mode on the next boot:

sudo systemctl set-default rescue.target
sudo reboot

Then switch back to your normal target afterward:

sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target
sudo systemctl isolate graphical.target

Manual Configuration (Not Recommended)

While systemctl set-default is the proper method, systemd targets are implemented via symlinks for those interested in the details. The default target is controlled by a symlink at /etc/systemd/system/default.target pointing to the actual target file in /usr/lib/systemd/system/.

You can view this symlink:

ls -l /etc/systemd/system/default.target

Manually editing the symlink is strongly discouraged—use systemctl set-default instead, as it handles the symlink correctly and integrates properly with systemd’s management tools.

Listing Available Targets

To see all available targets on your system:

systemctl list-unit-files --type target

Or to see targets that are installed but may not be enabled:

systemctl list-units --type target --all

Emergency and Emergency Targets

For extreme troubleshooting situations, systemd provides emergency.target. This boots with only the root filesystem mounted read-only and minimal services:

sudo systemctl isolate emergency.target

This requires the root password and is more restrictive than rescue.target. Use it only when rescue.target doesn’t provide enough isolation to diagnose and fix your problem.