You definitely don't want to just pull the plug. This can cause problems with the SD card and file system. 

### From the command line

When using the command line or a terminal window, you can enter the following to do a clean shutdown:

    sudo shutdown -h now


### From the LXDE GUI

1. Click the shutdown button (red power button) in the menu bar at the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Click shutdown (or "logout" as shown on newer versions, then issue the shutdown command listed above).

Once it says _System halted_, you can remove the power cord if needed.