xorg.conf

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The xorg.conf file is the main configuration file for the X server.

Note
Manually creating xorg.conf should be seen as a last resort option. It is typically desirable to run the X server without any special configuration. If you still can't get a working configuration, then read on.

Configuration

xorg.conf and xorg.conf.d

The X server read the settings from the files in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory (recommended) or the legacy /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. In the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory, each file is given a unique name and ends in .conf. If the filenames start with a number, then the X server will read the files in numeric order. 10-evdev.conf will be read before 20-synaptics.conf, and so on. You don't have to give them numbers, but it may help you organize them.

The settings in /etc/X11/xorg.conf take precedence over the files in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/, which take precedence over the files in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/, which take precedence over the built-in X server configuration.

x11-base/xorg-server provides example configurations in /usr/share/doc/xorg-server-*/xorg.conf.example.bz2. You can use these to create your own configuration files in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/.

Syntax

The configuration is composed of a number of sections. The most common ones include:

  • ServerFlags: Common X server settings
  • InputClass: Settings for input devices
  • Device: Settings for graphics cards
  • Monitor: Settings for displays
  • Screen: Settings for "graphics card / display"-combinations
  • ServerLayout: Settings for "screen / input devices"-combinations

Lines starting with a hash (#) are comments and are ignored by the X server. Each other line in a section define a value to an option. The value can be of the following types:

  • INTEGER: an integer number in decimal, hex or octal, e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.
  • REAL: a floating point number, e.g. 1.2
  • STRING: a string enclosed in double quote marks ("), e.g. "Hello world!"

Most options and values are case-insensitive. Superfluous white spaces are ignored.

The special option named Option accepts also the additional types:

  • BOOLEAN: a boolean value, e.g. on, true, 1 or yes; off, false, 0 or no.
  • FREQUENCY: in Hz, k, kHz, M or MHz

Note also that the Option values must be enclosed in double quote marks (").

Sections

ServerFlags

An example ServerFlags section looks like this:

FILE /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "ServerFlags"
   Option "OffTime" "5"
   ...
EndSection

All entries are optional.

The most common options are:

Option Default Description
Option "AutoAddDevices" "BOOLEAN" true Enables or disables the automatic detection of input devices using udev.
Option "AutoAddGPU" "BOOLEAN" true If disabled then no GPU devices will be added from the udev backend.
Option "AutoBindGPU" "BOOLEAN" true If enabled then secondary GPUs will be automatically set up as output-sinks and offload-sources. Making e.g. laptop outputs connected only to the secondary GPU directly available for use (without needing to run xrandr --setprovideroutputsource).
Option "OffTime" "INTEGER" 10 Turns off the monitor after the given time (in minutes) of inactivity.

For more information see the xorg.conf man page.

InputClass

Create for each input device class (keyboard, mouse, etc.) a InputClass section. An example InputClass section looks like this:

FILE /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "InputClass"
   Identifier   "My Keyboard"
   MatchIsKeyboard "True"
   ...
EndSection

Identifier is mandatory, everything else is optional.

Without specify a matching condition a InputClass section applies to all input devices. Add a matching condition to apply settings only to input devices of the target class or to a single device. The most common conditions are:

Condition Description
MatchIsKeyboard "BOOLEAN" Match only keyboards
MatchIsPointer "BOOLEAN" Match only mice
MatchIsJoystick "BOOLEAN" Match only joysticks
MatchIsTablet "BOOLEAN" Match only tablets
MatchIsTouchpad "BOOLEAN" Match only touchpads
MatchIsTouchscreen "BOOLEAN" Match only touchscreens
MatchProduct "STRING" Match only devices with the given product name.
MatchVendor "STRING" Match only devices with the given vendor name.

The most common options are:

Option Default Description
Identifier "STRING" none Specify an unique name
Driver "STRING" none Specify the input device driver, see the input device articles.
Option "Ignore" "BOOLEAN" false Disable the input device (useful for e.g. sensors)
Option "XkbLayout" "STRING" en Specify a keyboard layout.
Option "XkbVariant" "STRING" Specify a keyboard layout variant
Option "XkbOptions" "STRING" Specify keyboard layout options

For more information see the xorg.conf man page and the man pages of your input device drivers.

Device

Create for each graphics card a Device section. An example Device section looks like this:

FILE /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "Device"
   Identifier   "My Graphics Card"
   Driver       "intel"
   ...
EndSection

Identifier and Driver is mandatory, everything else is optional.

The most common options are:

Option Default Description
Identifier "STRING" none Specify an unique name
Driver "STRING" none Specify the graphics driver, see the graphics drivers articles.
BusID "STRING" none For multiple graphics cards specify the BusID in the form PCI:bus:device:function provided by scanpci.
Option "Accel" "STRING" driver/card dependent Specify a 2D acceleration system
Option "Monitor-OUTPUT" "STRING" none Force bind a Monitor section to this device. OUTPUT is a connector name, see xrandr, and STRING is the chosen identifier of the Monitor section.

For more information see the xorg.conf man page and the man pages of your graphics drivers.

Monitor

Create for each monitor a Monitor section. An example Monitor section looks like this:

FILE /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "Monitor"
   Identifier   "My Monitor"
   ...
EndSection

Identifier is mandatory, everything else is optional.

The most common options are:

Option Default Description
Identifier "STRING" none Specify an unique name
DisplaySize INTEGER INTEGER EDID Specify the physical width and height (in millimeters) of the monitor. It will be used to calculate the DPI.
Modeline "STRING" ... EDID Specify a new mode entry.
Option "Enable" "BOOLEAN" true Enables or disables the monitor by default.
Option "PreferredMode" "STRING" none Specify the default mode.

For more information see the xorg.conf man page.

Hot-swapping input devices

For input devices override the configuration of xorg.conf by using the xinput command:

user $xinput list
⎡ Virtual core pointer                    	id=2	[master pointer  (3)]
⎜   ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer              	id=4	[slave  pointer  (2)]
⎜   ↳ Synaptics TM3127-001                    	id=11	[slave  pointer  (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard                   	id=3	[master keyboard (2)]
    ↳ Virtual core XTEST keyboard             	id=5	[slave  keyboard (3)]
...
user $ xinput --list-props 11 # One of the above id number 
Device 'Synaptics TM3127-001':
        Device Enabled (146):   1
        Coordinate Transformation Matrix (148): 1.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 1.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 1.000000
        libinput Tapping Enabled (311): 1
        libinput Tapping Enabled Default (312): 0
	...

To change "Tapping Enabled" to 0 (i.e. false), run:

user $xinput --set-prop --type=int 11 311 0

See also

  • Xorg — an open source implementation of the X server.
  • Wayland — a replacement for the X11 window system protocol and architecture with the aim to be easier to develop, extend, and maintain
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