How To Modify Power Button Options in Ubuntu

In this article, we will guide you through the process of modifying power button options in Ubuntu. This is a useful feature that allows you to decide what happens when the power button is pressed on your computer. We will cover several methods, including using the Gnome Tweak Tool, dconf-tools, gsettings, and modifying the logind.conf file.

Using the Gnome Tweak Tool

For Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10, the Gnome Tweak Tool is a handy utility that can be used to modify the power button options. You can install it from the Ubuntu Software Center. Once installed, open the tool and navigate to the shell tab. Here, you can set your desired action for both AC and battery power when the power button is pressed.

Using dconf-tools

Another option is to use the dconf-tools package. This package can be installed using the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install dconf-tools

After installing dconf-tools, you can open the dconf-editor either through the terminal or by pressing Alt+F2 and typing “dconf-editor”. Navigate to org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power and set your default button-power action there. On some systems, you may also need to mark the item suppress-logout-restart-shutdown.

Using gsettings

The gsettings command-line tool is another way to modify the power button action. For example, to change the power button action to hibernate, use the following command:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power button-power 'hibernate'

In this command, org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power is the schema, button-power is the key, and 'hibernate' is the value. You can also use gsettings to view your current power settings or all power settings.

Modifying the logind.conf file

For Ubuntu 14.04 and later versions without Gnome/X, you can modify the power button action by editing the /etc/systemd/logind.conf file. Open the file and change the HandlePowerKey option to your desired action, such as suspend or poweroff. After saving the file, you need to restart the systemd-logind service for the changes to take effect.

Advanced Option: Recompiling gnome-session

If none of the above solutions work for you, you can try recompiling the gnome-session package. This is a more advanced option and may not be necessary for most users.

Conclusion

Modifying the power button options in Ubuntu allows you to customize your system to better suit your needs. Whether you prefer to use the Gnome Tweak Tool, dconf-tools, gsettings, or modify the logind.conf file, each method offers a way to change what happens when the power button is pressed. Remember to always be careful when modifying system settings and ensure you understand each step before proceeding.