ipcrm

Updated

July 31, 2026

Overview

ipcrm removes System V Inter-Process Communication (IPC) objects (shared memory segments, message queues, or semaphore arrays) from the Linux kernel.

Syntax

ipcrm [options]

Common Options

Option Description
-m, --shm-id ID Remove shared memory segment identified by ID
-M, --shm-key KEY Remove shared memory segment identified by KEY
-s, --sem-id ID Remove semaphore array identified by ID
-S, --sem-key KEY Remove semaphore array identified by KEY
-q, --queue-id ID Remove message queue identified by ID
-Q, --queue-key KEY Remove message queue identified by KEY

Key Use Cases

  1. Reclaiming leaked shared memory segments after process crashes.
  2. Clearing orphaned semaphore locks in multi-threaded application environments.

Examples with Explanations

Example 1: Remove Shared Memory Segment by ID

ipcrm -m 32768

Deallocates and removes the shared memory segment associated with ID 32768.