Stopping python using ctrl+c

Ctrl+D Difference for Windows and Linux

It turns out that as of Python 3.6, the Python interpreter handles Ctrl+C differently for Linux and Windows. For Linux, Ctrl+C would work mostly as expected however on Windows Ctrl+C mostly doesn't work especially if Python is running blocking call such as thread.join or waiting on web response. It does work for time.sleep, however. Here's the nice explanation of what is going on in Python interpreter. Note that Ctrl+C generates SIGINT.

Solution 1: Use Ctrl+Break or Equivalent

Use below keyboard shortcuts in terminal/console window which will generate SIGBREAK at lower level in OS and terminate the Python interpreter.

Mac OS and Linux

Ctrl+Shift+\ or Ctrl+</kbd>

Windows:

• General: Ctrl+Break
• Dell: Ctrl+Fn+F6 or Ctrl+Fn+S
• Lenovo: Ctrl+Fn+F11 or Ctrl+Fn+B
• HP: Ctrl+Fn+Shift
• Samsung: Fn+Esc

Solution 2: Use Windows API

Below are handy functions which will detect Windows and install custom handler for Ctrl+C in console:

#win_ctrl_c.py

import sys

def handler(a,b=None):
    sys.exit(1)
def install_handler():
    if sys.platform == "win32":
        import win32api
        win32api.SetConsoleCtrlHandler(handler, True)

You can use above like this:

import threading
import time
import win_ctrl_c

# do something that will block
def work():
    time.sleep(10000)        
t = threading.Thread(target=work)
t.daemon = True
t.start()

#install handler
install_handler()

# now block
t.join()

#Ctrl+C works now!

Solution 3: Polling method

I don't prefer or recommend this method because it unnecessarily consumes processor and power negatively impacting the performance.

    import threading
    import time

    def work():
        time.sleep(10000)        
    t = threading.Thread(target=work)
    t.daemon = True
    t.start()
    while(True):
        t.join(0.1) #100ms ~ typical human response
    # you will get KeyboardIntrupt exception

On Mac press Ctrl+\ to quit a python process attached to a terminal.

Capture the KeyboardInterrupt (which is launched by pressing ctrl+c) and force the exit:

from sys import exit

try:
    # Your code
    command = input('Type your command: ')

except KeyboardInterrupt:
    # User interrupt the program with ctrl+c
    exit()

• Forcing the program to close using Alt+F4 (shuts down current program)
• Spamming the X button on CMD for e.x.
• Taskmanager (first Windows+R and then "taskmgr") and then end the task.

Those may help.

For the record, what killed the process on my Raspberry 3B+ (running raspbian) was Ctrl+'. On my French AZERTY keyboard, the touch ' is also number 4.

You can open your task manager (ctrl + alt + delete, then go to task manager) and look through it for python and the server is called (for the example) _go_app (naming convention is: _language_app).

If I end the _go_app task it'll end the server, so going there in the browser will say it "unexpectedly ended", I also use git bash, and when I start a server, I cannot break out of the server in bash's shell with ctrl + c or ctrl + pause, but once you end the python task (the one using 63.7 mb) it'll break out of the server script in bash, and allow me to use the git bash shell.