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By default, if I connect an external display under Xfce, it is not activated until I choose to in xfce4-display-settings or lxrandr.

If set to use external display only and then restart with that monitor closed, the external-display setting is kept and I have no display at all; and have to start the external monitor in order to change the settings to use the internal display.

Is it possible to make the internal display default at startup (reset settings at startup)?

Or if the default Xfce display manager cannot have this setting, can I completely remove/replace it with Lxandr while I use Xfce?

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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I found a way to activate the internal monitor while no display is active.

Following instructions here and upgrading to Xfce 4.12, there is a new window for xfce4-display-settings -m which by default is already activated by pressing Superkey-P. (Logout and in after upgrade.)

enter image description here

Even if the monitor is still closed, press Tab (three times in my case), and then Enter, but pressing one or two times and Enter would still activate internal display.

Even easier: instead of Tab, use right-arrow multiple times and then Enter: the internal display is the last button to the right and it stays selected in this way.

But in fact this might have worked even before the upgrade with just the advanced window (xfce4-display-settings; before upgrade, adding -m displays the same window as far as I can tell) by pressing down-arrow key, then Tab (once) and Enter.

enter image description here

But the upgraded version is more interesting, more easy to use and has enhanced features (extended display).

After vasa1's answer to a different question, a solution emerged that in the end may be preferable, as it involves single, separate, clear shortcuts for each display configuration.

But this involves LXRandr, the LXDE default display manager, which can be installed from repos and used perfectly under the Xfce desktop. It is a GUI for xrandr and saves its configurations.

  • Save the desired configuration (the internal display in this case) ` enter image description here

  • Use gedit or other text editor to open the saved file:

gedit ~/.config/autostart/lxrandr-autostart.desktop

  • Copy the executive command (it would be something like xrandr --output LVDS --mode 1680x1050 --rate 60.1 --output VGA-0 --off)

  • In Xfce, under Menu, Settings/Keyboard/Application shortcut, add this command and the shortcut.

This procedure can be repeated for the other two options (external monitor only, or mirror image - but there's no dual display in lxrandr).

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I am using a Notebook with two external screens unter xfce wit xrandr. The screens are attached an on normaly and the notebook screen is off.

I wrote a script wich activates and configurates the screens and let this script start at xubuntu-startup. If no screen is attached xrandr can't find the screen and uses the notebook-screen.

To configurate xrandr is not difficult, just have a look at the manpages. Some "Try and Error" helped me here ^^

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  • i would try not to use scripts for the moment: i found something interesting in xfce-display-settings: under its help (xfce4-display-settings -h) i see this: --display=DISPLAY X display to use. I could use that to switch by shortkey, but what to put for "DISPLAY" so as to be the internal display? is it 0.0 or something? i might change the question to fit the answer for the actual question is not that important as long as i find a solution
    – user47206
    Feb 22, 2013 at 13:00
  • i have created a specific question if you care to take a look? askubuntu.com/q/259759/47206
    – user47206
    Feb 22, 2013 at 13:17

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