A method of operating an internal combustion engine and device for carrying out the method

There are a method of operating an internal combustion engine (10) in whose exhaust gas region (13), a particulate filter (14) is arranged, which is cyclically loaded with particles and thermally regenerated, and proposed a device for performing the method, that of a thermal overload particulate avoid (14) after switching off the internal combustion engine (10). When switching off the internal combustion engine (10), it is checked whether an exothermic reaction in the particulate filter (14) takes place. If an exothermic reaction occurs in the particulate filter (14), a flap (12) is closed, the flow (15) through the particulate filter (14) and a therewith is optionally bonded oxygen entry into the particulate filter (14) suppresses.