490

I would like closing the laptop lid to be a no-op. How can I do that?

2

16 Answers 16

572

For 13.10 - 24.04:

To disable Ubuntu doing anything closing the laptop lid:

  1. Open the /etc/systemd/logind.conf file in a text editor as root, for example,

    sudoedit /etc/systemd/logind.conf
    
  2. If HandleLidSwitch is not set to ignore then change it:

    HandleLidSwitch=ignore
    

    Make sure it's not commented out (it is commented out if it is preceded by the symbol #) or add it if it is missing.

  3. Restart the systemd daemon (be aware that this will log you off) with this command:

    sudo systemctl restart systemd-logind
    

    or from 15.04 onwards:

    sudo service systemd-logind restart
    

See also: Ubuntu Server 13.10 now goes to sleep when closing laptop lid

For GNOME Users:

If you are using GNOME (the default in 18.04+), then you can do this easily without changing system settings by using the "Gnome Tweak Tool". It can be installed from the Ubuntu Software Store (It is called GNOME Tweaks). Or if you prefer the console:

# Ubuntu 18.04
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

# Ubuntu 20.04+
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweaks

Run it after installing, then under Power, Turn off the setting to do nothing when lid is closed. I tested this on Ubuntu 18.04 and it works.

32
  • 75
    This didn't work for me. What finally solved it for me was setting IgnoreLid=true in /etc/UPower/UPower.conf
    – Kimble
    Apr 2, 2014 at 14:10
  • 7
    HandleLidSwitch=hibernate if you want your laptop to hibernate instead of doing nothing.
    – Salman
    Apr 18, 2014 at 1:08
  • 8
    Aternative: sudo apt-get install dconf-tools, open dconf Editor application, go to org => gnome => setting-deamon => plugins => power
    – pbaranski
    Apr 26, 2014 at 18:21
  • 6
    Worked for me on 14.04.
    – kroiz
    Jun 13, 2014 at 7:36
  • 3
    I restart it using sudo service systemd-logind restart
    – Iacchus
    Nov 17, 2015 at 14:29
74

For 11.04 and earlier:

Do nothing when laptop lid is closed (helpful when an external monitor is connected):

  • Alt + F2 and enter this: gconf-editor
  • apps > gnome-power-manager > buttons
  • Set lid_ac and lid_battery to nothing

alt text

OR

1.When on AC Power, do nothing when laptop lid is closed:
gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_ac nothing

2.When on Battery Power, do nothing when laptop lid is closed:
gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_battery nothing


Blank screen when laptop lid is closed (preferable when no external monitor is connected):

  • System > Preferences > Power Management
  • On AC Power (On Battery Power) > Actions
  • When laptop lid is closed: Blank screen

alt text

OR

1.When on AC Power, blank screen when laptop lid is closed:
gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_ac blank

2.When on Battery Power, blank screen when laptop lid is closed:
gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_battery blank

0
71

Ubuntu 15.10 - Ubuntu 20.04

TL;DR: Add IgnoreLid=true to /etc/UPower/UPower.conf

  1. Open a terminal and run:

     sudoedit /etc/UPower/UPower.conf
    
  2. Change IgnoreLid to IgnoreLid=true

  3. Save and exit the editor.

  4. Restart the UPower service with:

     service upower restart
    
8
  • 4
    For me, this didn't work on Ubuntu 15.10, but following these steps here did: askubuntu.com/a/594417 May 19, 2016 at 16:19
  • Perfect. This prevents my external monitor from going to sleep on lid close in 16.10. No more worries when closing it.
    – Andreas
    Mar 19, 2017 at 21:35
  • Works for 16.04 - Prevents networks from disconnecting, which is the single most important issue for me. Thank you.
    – SDsolar
    Mar 4, 2018 at 7:56
  • This didn't work on Ubuntu 17.10 with Gnome.
    – James Ray
    Mar 23, 2018 at 7:07
  • 3
    My Ubuntu Server 18.04 has no /etc/UPower directory. However, this answer to this question worked. May 19, 2018 at 21:17
43

For 11.10 - 12.04:

You can select "Do Nothing" in the power settings. Open the dash (super key), search for "power" and then select the correct option in the dropdown. Note that closing the lid will actually turn off the screen though plus any external monitors:

enter image description here

If you move the mouse then any connected monitors will power back up with the laptop closed. This will then become the primary monitor.

This might either have been removed at some point, or it requires some hardware support which is not available in all systems: Since 16.04, I don't have 'when the lid is closed' options in power settings as there have been reports that it was not visible on Ubuntu 21.04.

6
  • 3
    Yes, but this doesn't seem to work. I think it's a bug in 12.04.
    – Thom
    Jun 17, 2012 at 21:43
  • 1
    Works for me on Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS.
    – Tgr
    Sep 6, 2012 at 9:07
  • It is not working for me in Lubuntu 13.10 Feb 13, 2014 at 17:45
  • working for my ubuntu 13.10
    – Ashish
    Feb 17, 2014 at 5:58
  • Any way to do this on the command line? No X server on my lucid machine... Aug 5, 2014 at 15:17
7

11.04 and previous versions

Copying 1st given answer from: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1319921&highlight=close+laptop+lid

In a terminal (Applications-->Accessories-->Terminal), type: gconf-editor

Navigate to apps-->gnome-power-manager-->buttons and set lid_ac and/or lid_battery to "nothing" (without the quotes).

alt text

7

I have 14.04.1 LTS, Trusty Tahr.

What doesn't worked for me:

  1. Open the /etc/systemd/logind.conf file in a text editor as root, for example,

    sudo -H gedit /etc/systemd/logind.conf
    

    Add a line HandleLidSwitch=ignore (make sure it's not commented out!),

    Restart the systemd daemon with this command:

    sudo restart systemd-logind
    
  2. Edit gConf

    When on AC Power, do nothing when laptop lid is closed:

    gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_ac nothing
    

    When on Battery Power, do nothing when laptop lid is closed:

    gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_battery nothing 
    

What worked for me:

Setting IgnoreLid=true in /etc/UPower/UPower.conf

1
  • Working at Xubuntu 14.04.3 i386. Xubuntu have utility Power manager but settings for closing lid not worked for me. This is registered bug? Aug 28, 2015 at 23:36
6

Let us create a script that works on all versions

#!/bin/bash

# PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CHANGE THE SCRIPT

# Ubuntu 16.04 [PLEASE COMPLETE]

sed -i '/HandleLidSwitch/d' /etc/systemd/logind.conf >/dev/null 1&>2
echo 'HandleLidSwitch=ignore' >> /etc/systemd/logind.conf >/dev/null 1&>2

# Ubuntu 14.04 [PLEASE COMPLETE]

sed -i '/IgnoreLid/d' /etc/UPower/UPower.conf >/dev/null 1&>2
echo 'IgnoreLid=true'>> /etc/UPower/UPower.conf

# [PLEASE COMPLETE ]

# gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_ac [PLEASE COMPLETE ]
# gconftool-2 -t string -s /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_battery nothing [PLEASE COMPLETE ]

# RESTART SERVICES

service upower restart
service systemd-logind restart
2
  • "HandleLidSwitch=nothing" does nothing useful. "HandleLidSwitch=ignore" is The Real Thing(tm). Jul 5, 2018 at 11:17
  • 2
    +1 for trying to evolve a script here
    – ZagNut
    Dec 8, 2018 at 17:24
3

There is a bug with some laptops and monitors that makes Ubuntu not honor the "do nothing" setting when the laptop's lid is closed. I have not been able to find a complete solution, but maybe there is something to do with this link where they hint at this file : /etc/default/acpi-support and using:

gconftool-2 -t string /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_ac -s "blank"
gconftool-2 -t string /apps/gnome-power-manager/buttons/lid_battery -s "blank"
3

For Saucy:

Edit /etc/systemd/logind.conf and set HandleLidSwitch=lock to lock the screen on lid close (but not suspend), or HandleLidSwitch=ignore to not even lock the screen.

This is due to an upstream GNOME change. See GNOME bug 687277 for the rationale for this change.

2
  • Does ubuntu use systemd? Oct 16, 2013 at 19:38
  • systemd is now many things. Ubuntu does not use systemd's init ("pid 1"), but it does use components that were formerly independent but are now absorbed into the systemd source, such as udev. So you will see mentions of the systemd name on an Ubuntu system, but that does not mean that its init system has suddenly changed. Oct 17, 2013 at 8:14
3

You can easily disable the lid lock feature by clicking the System Settings icon in the Launcher/Task bar, and then clicking on Brightness & Lock.

From there, you flip the Lock switch to the off position, and un-check the "Require my password when wakening from suspend." check-box.

enter image description here

Another thing you have to watch for if you also plan on setting up hibernation (suspend-to-disk) is whether or not your system has a large enough swap partition to actually go into hibernation. Hibernation is different than suspend, but sometimes people like to set up the hibernation feature while they are configuring suspend.

You can also go over your Power settings, so they don't suspend the system when the lid is close. You can do this in System Setting -> Power.

enter image description here

2

11.04 and previous versions

you can also go to system->preferences->power management

near bottom of the window you will find a dropdown where you can select what your system does when lid is closed

0
2

12.04

In System Settings, open Brightness & Lock. On that page, uncheck the checkbox at the bottom that says, "Require my password when waking from suspend."

1
  • 1
    Tried this and it made no difference.
    – Thom
    Jun 17, 2012 at 21:43
2

I like to suspend my laptop sometimes, and other times I like to keep it going for long times like a server (do nothing when I close the lid). I use Debian, and here's my simple script to do either one on the fly without rebooting:

# run this in the as the same user (or root) that xwindow is using

# test for required parameter --> empty not allowed
if [ "$1" == "" ]; then
    echo "Please provide true or false"
    echo "True means keep running when lid is closed"
    echo "False means suspend the computer when lid is closed"
    exit;
fi

# "running true" means keep running even if the lid is closed
if [ "$1" = "true" ]; then
    gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action nothing
    gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-battery-action nothing
fi


# "running false" means suspend the computer!
if [ "$1" = "false" ]; then
    gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action suspend
    gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-battery-action suspend
fi

# if "echo" is supplied as a param, just show the current settings
if [ "$1" = "echo" ]; then
    gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action
    gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-battery-action 
fi

# restart gnome to make changes effective
/etc/init.d/gdm3 restart
1
  • Worth noticing that this method using gsettings is the only one (I can see) that does not require sudo.
    – user202729
    Apr 19, 2023 at 7:07
1

For 12.10:

Edit /etc/UPower/UPower.conf and add IgnoreLid=true to the bottom.

This method no longer works in Saucy. I am unsure about 13.04.

2
  • Works on 15.04 64 bit after issuing systemctl restart upower.
    – KcFnMi
    Sep 9, 2015 at 16:36
  • 1
    /etc/UPower/Upower.conf IgnoreLid=true on ubuntu 14.04 use to work. after the 3.13 kernel roll out it not longer works anymore
    – user493997
    Jan 16, 2016 at 17:48
0

So... I tried all the possible solutions listed here, still had the problem. But it turned out to a pretty silly reason.

Well, I wonder why the answerers here didn't mention the part. It's a very basic Linux trick uncommenting is. But hey sometimes there could be some human error because we're not a scripting language or something, right??

So, do the following.

$ sudo nano /etc/systemd/logind.conf

Change the #HandleLidSwitch=suspend part to

HandleLidSwitch=ignore

So the change is as follows.

- #HandleLidSwitch=suspend
+ HandleLidSwitch=ignore
0

Adding an solution not previously listed:

For me, I want my laptop to stay on, but only when it's on A/C or docked. If there's no external power, I want the laptop to suspend as expected when the lid is shut. So my solution (Ubuntu 20.04 and newer) was as follows:

  • Create the add-in confdir for logind config (via manpage), and edit the add-in config no-suspend-on-ac.conf:
sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d && \
    sudoedit /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d/no-suspend-on-ac.conf
  • Contents of no-suspend-on-ac.conf
[Login]
HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore

HandleLidSwitch remains at it's default behaviour, but with external power (direct or via a dock), shutting the lid will be ignored.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .