Set up autostart

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

GNOME uses .desktop files to launch applications. If you want an application to start automatically when the system boots, you need to place a .desktop file in the ~/.config/autostart/ directory. Follow these steps:

Create the Directory (if it doesn’t exist)

The directory ~/.config/autostart/ is where GNOME looks for autostart files. If this directory doesn’t already exist, you can create it with the following command:

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mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart

The -p flag ensures that the directory is created, even if parent directories are missing.

Copy the `.desktop` File

Many applications already provide .desktop files, which are located in the /usr/share/applications/ directory. These files contain all the necessary information to start the application. You can copy the .desktop file of the desired application to the autostart directory:

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cp /usr/share/applications/<application>.desktop ~/.config/autostart/

Replace <application> with the name of the desired application. For example, to start Firefox at boot, you would enter:

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cp /usr/share/applications/firefox.desktop ~/.config/autostart/

Edit the `.desktop` File (Optional)

If you want to customize the startup parameters of the application, you can edit the copied .desktop file using a text editor. For example, open the file with nano:

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nano ~/.config/autostart/<application>.desktop

Here, you can make changes like adding additional startup options or configuring the autostart for specific conditions. Be sure to save the file after editing.

Test the Autostart

To verify that the application starts automatically on the next boot, you can log out and log back in or restart the system. The application should now start automatically.

Desktop on DevOps OPf

Set up autostart

Create the Directory (if it doesn’t exist)

Copy the .desktop File

Edit the .desktop File (Optional)

Test the Autostart

Copy the `.desktop` File

Edit the `.desktop` File (Optional)