LOGOFF - CMD

Overview

The LOGOFF command in Windows CMD is used to log off the currently logged-on user from a session on a local or remote machine. This command is particularly useful in administrative environments, remote session management, or when using batch scripts to automate the logging off process after performing specific tasks.

Syntax

The basic syntax for the LOGOFF command is as follows:

LOGOFF [sessionname | sessionid] [/SERVER:servername] [/V]
  • sessionname and sessionid are optional parameters that specify the name or ID of the session that you want to log off.
  • If no session is specified, the command logs off the user from the current session.

Options/Flags

  • /SERVER:servername

    • Specifies the Terminal server containing the user session to log off, by default it is the current server.
    • Example: /SERVER:Server01 would attempt to log off the user from Server01.

  • /V

    • Enables verbose mode, which provides detailed information about the actions being performed.
    • Example: LOGOFF /V would log off the current session and display detailed information on the operation.

Examples

  1. Log off the current session:

    LOGOFF

    This command logs off the user from the current session without additional information.

  2. Log off a session by ID with verbose information:

    LOGOFF 3 /V

    Logs off the session with the ID 3 and displays detailed information about the logoff process.

  3. Log off a user session on a remote server:

    LOGOFF /SERVER:remotePC 2

    This example would log off the user session with ID 2 on the remote machine named ‘remotePC’.

Common Issues

  • Session Not Found:
    Users may encounter issues where the specified session ID does not exist. Ensuring the correct session ID or name is crucial.

  • Permissions:
    Insufficient permissions can prevent a user from logging off a session, particularly on remote machines. Administrators need to ensure proper permissions are set.

Integration

LOGOFF can be combined with other commands to enhance scripts:

REM Check for idle sessions and log them off
QUERY SESSION | find "Idle" > idleSessions.txt
FOR /F "tokens=2" %%i in (idleSessions.txt) DO LOGOFF %%i

This script uses QUERY SESSION to find idle sessions and logs them off using LOGOFF.

  • SHUTDOWN – Enables you to shutdown or restart the local or remotely connected system.
  • QUERY SESSION – Displays information about all sessions on a Terminal server.
  • RWINSTA – Resets the session subsystem hardware and software to known initial values.

For further reading and additional details, refer to the official Microsoft documentation on LOGOFF.