XScreenSaver(1) General Commands Manual XScreenSaver(1) (NAME) xscreensaver - (SYNOPSIS) xscreensaver [--display host:display.screen] [--verbose] [--version] [--no-splash] [--log filename] (DESCRIPTION) XScreenSaver . . XScreenSaver macOS iOS Android . (GETTING STARTED) XScreenSaver . xscreensaver-settings(1) . xscreensaver & xscreensaver-settings (HOW IT WORKS) . . . . (unmapped) . / . (COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS) --display host:display.screen X . XScreenSaver . --verbose (stderr). --version . --log filename . --verbose . . --no-splash . (POWER MANAGEMENT) xscreensaver-settings(1) . ~/.xscreensaver . xset(1) . ( XScreenSaver ). (LAPTOP LIDS) systemd(1) elogind(8) . . systemd(1) (xscreensaver-command --lock). (PLAYING VIDEOS) systemd(1) elogind(8) XScreenSaver . xscreensaver-systemd(6) D-Bus . (INSTALLATION) XScreenSaver ( ) XScreenSaver . XSCREENSAVER GNOME UNITY (INSTALLING XSCREENSAVER ON GNOME OR UNITY) GNOME XScreenSaver . ! : : sudo apt remove gnome-screensaver sudo apt remove mate-screensaver sudo apt remove cinnamon-screensaver sudo apt remove light-locker sudo rpm -e gnome-screensaver sudo rpm -e mate-screensaver sudo rpm -e cinnamon-screensaver sudo rpm -e light-locker GNOME . : GNOME . <> <> xscreensaver-settings(1) : "Settings / Privacy / Screen Lock / Blank Screen Delay" "Settings / Privacy / Screen Lock / Automatic Screen Lock" "Settings / Power / Blank Screen" "Settings / Power / Automatic Suspend" : XScreenSaver . <> <> <> ( <>) ( ) . <> . . : <> GNOME XScreenSaver. GNOME 3.38 . ! Cinnamon 4.8 MATE 1.24 : sudo ln -sf /usr/bin/xscreensaver-command \ /usr/bin/gnome-screensaver-command sudo ln -sf /usr/bin/xscreensaver-command \ /usr/bin/cinnamon-screensaver-command sudo ln -sf /usr/bin/xscreensaver-command \ /usr/bin/mate-screensaver-command sudo ln -sf /usr/bin/xscreensaver-command \ /usr/bin/xfce4-screensaver-command sudo ln -sf /usr/bin/xscreensaver-command \ /usr/bin/light-locker-command . XSCREENSAVER KDE (INSTALLING XSCREENSAVER ON KDE) GNOME (KDE) . KDE XScreenSaver : : KDE . System Settings xscreensaver-settings(1) : "Workspace Behavior / Screen Locking / Lock automatically" "Workspace Behavior / Screen Locking / After waking from sleep" "Workspace Behavior / Screen Locking / Keyboard shortcut" "Hardware / Power Management / Screen Energy Saving" "Hardware / Power Management / Suspend session" "Hardware / Power Management / Laptop lid closed" = Do Nothing (Tab) : <> <> <>. : XScreenSaver . /usr/share/applications/xscreensaver.desktop ~/.config/autostart/ . : <> KDE XScreenSaver. <> . <> . . (chmod a+x). #!/bin/sh xscreensaver-command --lock & . : KDE (Suspend). KDE KDE . . KDE 5.21 . "systemd user sessions" KDE ksmserver : kwriteconfig5 --file startkderc --group General \ --key systemdBoot true (Log out and back in). plasma-ksmserver ksmserver : systemctl edit --user plasma-ksmserver.service : [Service] ExecStart= ExecStart=/usr/bin/ksmserver --no-lockscreen . XSCREENSAVER LXDE (LAUNCHING XSCREENSAVER FROM LXDE) @xscreensaver /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart . XSCREENSAVER SYSTEMD (LAUNCHING XSCREENSAVER FROM SYSTEMD) GNOME KDE LXDE XScreenSaver systemd(1) . /usr/lib/systemd/user/xscreensaver.service /usr/share/xscreensaver/xscreensaver.service ~/.config/systemd/user/ . : systemctl --user enable xscreensaver XSCREENSAVER UPSTART (LAUNCHING XSCREENAVER FROM UPSTART) GNOME KDE LXDE systemd(1) upstart(7) "Startup Applications" "Add" : Name: XScreenSaver Command: xscreensaver Comment: XScreenSaver SYSTEMD (LAPTOP LIDS WITHOUT SYSTEMD) BSD systemd(1) elogind(8) "xscreensaver-command --suspend" /etc/acpi/events/anything /etc/acpi/handler.sh ( ) . XSCREENSAVER GDM (LAUNCHING XSCREENSAVER FROM GDM) xscreensaver gdm(1) . gdmconfig(1) . General Local Greeter Standard Greeter . Background "xscreensaver --no-splash" Background Program . gdm XScreenSaver . ( XScreenSaver .) . /etc/X11/gdm/gdm.conf /etc/gdm3/custom.conf : Greeter=/usr/bin/gdmlogin BackgroundProgram=xscreensaver --no-splash RunBackgroundProgramAlways=true xscreensaver gdm . ( DPMS ) ~gdm/.xscreensaver . xscreensaver gdm "connection refused" xauth(1) . X X(1) Xsecurity(1) xauth(1) xhost(1) . . ! (THE WAYLAND PROBLEM) Wayland X11 . . XWayland X11 Wayland . XScreenSaver . Wayland XScreenSaver : 1: . grab X11 XWayland XScreenSaver . 2: GNOME . GNOME Wayland (idle) . KDE . 2: ( ) . (un-blank) . 3: (Fading) . Wayland grim(1) . grim(1) GNOME KDE . XScreenSaver Wayland << >> X . GNOME (TO DISABLE WAYLAND UNDER GNOME) <> ( Wayland) <> ( X11) . /etc/X11/gdm/gdm.conf /etc/gdm3/custom.conf : WaylandEnable=false KDE (TO DISABLE WAYLAND UNDER KDE) <> . /etc/sddm.conf SessionDir [Wayland] : SessionDir=/dev/null (SECURITY CONCERNS) XScreenSaver . . X11 . (MAGIC BACKDOOR KEYSTROKES) X Xorg XFree86 X11 . . Ctrl+Alt+Backspace X . X11 () . DontZap xorg.conf(5) XF86Config(5) . Ctrl-Alt-F1, Ctrl-Alt-F2, etc. X11 . . . (VT switching) DontVTSwitch xorg.conf(5) VT . VT . . Ctrl-Alt-KP_Multiply X11 XScreenSaver . AllowClosedownGrabs xorg.conf(5) . Alt-SysRq-F <> ( ) . XScreenSaver . : echo 176 > /proc/sys/kernel/sysrq X11 . . OOM-KILLER (THE OOM-KILLER) OOM-killer Alt-SysRq-F OOM-killer XScreenSaver . xscreensaver-auth(6) setuid OOM-killer XScreenSaver . OOM-killer crond(8). OOM-killer : echo 2 > /proc/sys/vm/overcommit_memory echo vm.overcommit_memory = 2 >> /etc/sysctl.conf OOM-killer systemd(1) . xscreensaver.service : sudo systemctl disable --now systemd-oomd sudo systemctl mask systemd-oomd X (X SERVER ACCESS IS GAME OVER) X11 (all-or-nothing) . X . X . Xsecurity(1) xauth(1) . PAM (PAM PASSWORDS) PAM ( ) PAM XScreenSaver . . /etc/pam.d/xscreensaver . (DON'T LOG IN AS ROOT) (root) . sudo(1) . XScreenSaver . (MULTI-USER OR SITE-WIDE CONFIGURATION) XScreenSaver xscreensaver-settings(1) (GUI) . ~/.xscreensaver . /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver . ( ) . X xrdb(1) . ~/.xscreensaver app-defaults . XScreenSaver .xscreensaver . X XScreenSaver : xrdb < ~/.Xdefaults xscreensaver-command --restart X (X RESOURCES) X XScreenSaver . xscreensaver-settings(1) . timeout (class Time) ( ). . cycle (class Time) ( SIGTERM) . : . . cycle . lock (class Boolean) : . lockTimeout (class Time) << >> (grace period) . timeout . . ( lockTimeout ) . . passwdTimeout (class Time) ( ) ( ). . dpmsEnabled (class Boolean) . dpmsStandby (class Time) . dpmsSuspend (class Time) . dpmsOff (class Time) . X . Power Management . dpmsQuickOff (class Boolean) mode blank true . verbose (class Boolean) . false . splash (class Boolean) (splash screen) . true . splashDuration (class Time) . helpURL (class URL) Help . . loadURL (class LoadURL) (URL) . demoCommand (class DemoCommand) Demo . xscreensaver-settings(1) . newLoginCommand (class NewLoginCommand) "New Login" . gdmflexiserver(1) kdmctl(1) lxdm(1) dm-tool(1) . nice (class Nice) XScreenSaver (nice level) . . ( nice(1) .) fade (class Boolean) (true) (fade) . : true. unfade (class Boolean) (true) . fade true . : true. fadeSeconds (class Time) fade . . ignoreUninstalledPrograms (class Boolean) <<>> . true . false . xscreensaver-settings(1) . : false. authWarningSlack (class Integer) . . . . mode (class Mode) . : random . . random-same random . one ( selected ). blank : . off . selected (class Integer) mode one programs . : xscreensaver-settings(1) ! programs ( Programs) ( ) XScreenSaver . sh . : (&). ( mode) . cycle . (-) : ( xscreensaver-settings(1) ). () mode blank . . (app-defaults) (.xscreensaver) . . XScreenSaver ( /usr/libexec/xscreensaver/) $PATH . $XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW . (map) . . Visuals: XScreenSaver (monochrome) (grayscale) (colormapped) . : mono: mono-program -root \n\ color: color-program -root \n\ visual . colormap visual : PseudoColor: cmap-program -root \n\ TrueColor: 24bit-program -root \n\ visual ( visualID) visual programs : default-n default . visual visual . . mono . visualID (class VisualID) . . X . ( visualID visual visual .) VisualID : default ( root window). . best . TrueColor . PseudoColor TrueColor . mono (monochrome) . gray grayscale staticgray ( ). color . GL OpenGL . ( OpenGL X .) class class StaticGray StaticColor TrueColor GrayScale PseudoColor DirectColor . . N number ( ) xdpyinfo(1) . : . programs . installColormap (class Boolean) . PseudoColor ( ) . . ( .) : default-n programs . TrueColor ( ) . ( .) pointerHysteresis (class Integer) ( <<>> ). ( ). : . (un-blank) . X11 XScreenSaver . (BUGS) https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/bugs.html . ! (ENVIRONMENT) DISPLAY . XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW . PATH . HOME .xscreensaver . XENVIRONMENT RESOURCE_MANAGER (override) . (UPGRADES) XScreenSaver (FAQ) https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver . (SEE ALSO) X(1), Xsecurity(1), xauth(1), xdm(1), gdm(1), xhost(1), systemd(1), elogind(8), xscreensaver-settings(1), xscreensaver-command(1), xscreensaver-systemd(6), xscreensaver-gl-helper(6), xscreensaver-getimage(6), xscreensaver-text(6). (COPYRIGHT) (C) 1991-2026 Jamie Zawinski . . . << >> (as is) . (AUTHOR) Jamie Zawinski . XScreenSaver ! X Version 11 6.15 (30-Mar-2026) XScreenSaver(1)