Your Linux machine is taking forever to boot? Getting stuck on systemd-networkd-wait-online? No worries! Let’s fix it.

This happens when your system waits for the network to be ready before finishing booting. But if something goes wrong, it just hangs there, making you wait. Let’s make it stop doing that.

Why Is This Happening?

The systemd-networkd-wait-online service ensures the network is up before other services start. This is important for servers but unnecessary for personal machines.

Possible causes:

• A network interface takes too long to connect.
• A misconfiguration in your network settings.
• You don’t even need the service!

Fix 1: Disable the Service

If you don’t need this service, just disable it.

sudo systemctl disable --now systemd-networkd-wait-online.service

This stops the service and prevents it from running at boot. Try rebooting and see if it helps.

Fix 2: Reduce the Timeout

If you need the service but don’t want to wait so long, reduce the timeout.

sudo systemctl edit systemd-networkd-wait-online.service

Add these lines:

[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-networkd-wait-online --timeout=10

Save and exit, then reload systemd:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Now it will wait only 10 seconds before giving up.

Fix 3: Check Your Network Configuration

Sometimes, a misconfigured network can cause delays.

Check your active connections:

networkctl

Look at the setup column. If it says configuring for too long, check your network configs.

[ai-img]linux,network,terminal[/ai-img]

Fix 4: Remove Unnecessary Network Interfaces

Do you see an interface that you’re not using? It could be slowing things down.

Check configuration files in:

/etc/systemd/network/

Look for any unwanted interfaces and remove their configuration files.

Restart the network service:

sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd

Fix 5: Use NetworkManager Instead

If you’re on a desktop, consider using NetworkManager instead of systemd-networkd.

Install NetworkManager (if not already installed):

sudo apt install network-manager   # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install NetworkManager   # Fedora
sudo pacman -S networkmanager     # Arch

Enable and start it:

sudo systemctl enable --now NetworkManager

Then disable systemd-networkd:

sudo systemctl disable --now systemd-networkd

Reboot and see if things improve.

Final Thoughts

Slow boots are annoying. But with a little tweaking, you can speed things up. Try the solutions above and see what works for you!

[ai-img]linux,boot,fix[/ai-img]