xrandr
(1)
Name
xrandr - primitive command line interface to RandR extension
Synopsis
/usr/bin/xrandr [--help] [--display display] [-q] [-v]
[--verbose] [--dryrun] [--screen snum] [--q1] [--q12]
[--current] [--noprimary] [--panning widthx-
height[+x+y[/track_widthxtrack_height+track_x+track_y[/bor-
der_left/border_top/border_right/border_bottom]]]] [--scale
xxy] [--scale-from wxh] [--transform a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i]
[--primary] [--prop] [--fb widthxheight] [--fbmm widthx-
height] [--dpi dpi] [--newmode name mode] [--rmmode name]
[--addmode output name] [--delmode output name] [--output
output] [--auto] [--mode mode] [--preferred] [--pos xxy]
[--rate rate] [--reflect reflection] [--rotate orientation]
[--left-of output] [--right-of output] [--above output]
[--below output] [--same-as output] [--set property value]
[--off] [--crtc crtc] [--gamma red:green:blue] [--brightness
brightness] [-o orientation] [-s size] [-r rate] [-x] [-y]
[--listproviders] [--setprovideroutputsource provider
source] [--setprovideroffloadsink provider sink]
Description
User Commands XRANDR(1)
NAME
xrandr - primitive command line interface to RandR extension
SYNOPSIS
/usr/bin/xrandr [--help] [--display display] [-q] [-v]
[--verbose] [--dryrun] [--screen snum] [--q1] [--q12]
[--current] [--noprimary] [--panning widthx-
height[+x+y[/track_widthxtrack_height+track_x+track_y[/bor-
der_left/border_top/border_right/border_bottom]]]] [--scale
xxy] [--scale-from wxh] [--transform a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i]
[--primary] [--prop] [--fb widthxheight] [--fbmm widthx-
height] [--dpi dpi] [--newmode name mode] [--rmmode name]
[--addmode output name] [--delmode output name] [--output
output] [--auto] [--mode mode] [--preferred] [--pos xxy]
[--rate rate] [--reflect reflection] [--rotate orientation]
[--left-of output] [--right-of output] [--above output]
[--below output] [--same-as output] [--set property value]
[--off] [--crtc crtc] [--gamma red:green:blue] [--brightness
brightness] [-o orientation] [-s size] [-r rate] [-x] [-y]
[--listproviders] [--setprovideroutputsource provider
source] [--setprovideroffloadsink provider sink]
DESCRIPTION
Xrandr is used to set the size, orientation and/or reflec-
tion of the outputs for a screen. It can also set the screen
size.
If invoked without any option, it will dump the state of the
outputs, showing the existing modes for each of them, with a
'+' after the preferred modes and a '*' after the current
mode.
There are a few global options. Other options modify the
last output that is specified in earlier parameters in the
command line. Multiple outputs may be modified at the same
time by passing multiple --output options followed immedi-
ately by their corresponding modifying options.
--help
Print out a summary of the usage and exit.
-v, --version
Print out the RandR version reported by the X server
and exit.
--verbose
Causes xrandr to be more verbose. When used with -q (or
without other options), xrandr will display more infor-
mation about the server state. Please note that the
gamma and brightness informations are only approxima-
tions of the complete color profile stored in the
server. When used along with options that reconfigure
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the system, progress will be reported while executing
the configuration changes.
-q, --query
When this option is present, or when no configuration
changes are requested, xrandr will display the current
state of the system.
--dryrun
Performs all the actions specified except that no
changes are made.
--nograb
Apply the modifications without grabbing the screen. It
avoids to block other applications during the update
but it might also cause some applications that detect
screen resize to receive old values.
-d, --display name
This option selects the X display to use. Note this
refers to the X screen abstraction, not the monitor (or
output).
--screen snum
This option selects which screen to manipulate. Note
this refers to the X screen abstraction, not the moni-
tor (or output).
--q1 Forces the usage of the RandR version 1.1 protocol,
even if a higher version is available.
--q12
Forces the usage of the RandR version 1.2 protocol,
even if the display does not report it as supported or
a higher version is available.
RandR version 1.4 options
Options for RandR 1.4 are used as a superset of the options
for RandR 1.3.
--listproviders
Report information about the providers available.
--setprovideroutputsource provider source
Set source as the source of display output images for
provider. This is only possible if source and provider
have the Source Output and Sink Output capabilities,
respectively.
--setprovideroffloadsink provider sink
Set provider as a render offload device for sink. This
is only possible if provider and sink have the Source
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User Commands XRANDR(1)
Offload and Sink Offload capabilities, respectively.
RandR version 1.3 options
Options for RandR 1.3 are used as a superset of the options
for RandR 1.2.
--current
Return the current screen configuration, without
polling for hardware changes.
--noprimary
Don't define a primary output.
Per-output options
track_height+track_x+track_y[/border_left/border_top/bor-
der_right/border_bottom]]]
--panning widthx-
height[+x+y[/track_widthx-
This option sets the panning parameters. As soon as
panning is enabled, the CRTC position can change with
every pointer move. The first four parameters specify
the total panning area, the next four the pointer
tracking area (which defaults to the same area). The
last four parameters specify the border and default to
0. A width or height set to zero disables panning on
the according axis. You typically have to set the
screen size with --fb simultaneously.
--transform a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i
Specifies a transformation matrix to apply on the out-
put. Automatically a bilinear filter is selected. The
mathematical form corresponds to:
a b c
d e f
g h i
The transformation is based on homogeneous coordinates.
The matrix multiplied by the coordinate vector of a
pixel of the output gives the transformed coordinate
vector of a pixel in the graphic buffer. More pre-
cisely, the vector (x y) of the output pixel is
extended to 3 values (x y w), with 1 as the w coordi-
nate and multiplied against the matrix. The final
device coordinates of the pixel are then calculated
with the so-called homogenic division by the trans-
formed w coordinate. In other words, the device coor-
dinates (x' y') of the transformed pixel are:
x' = (ax + by + c) / w' and
y' = (dx + ey + f) / w' ,
with w' = (gx + hy + i) .
Typically, a and e corresponds to the scaling on the X
and Y axes, c and f corresponds to the translation on
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those axes, and g, h, and i are respectively 0, 0 and
1. The matrix can also be used to express more complex
transformations such as keystone correction, or rota-
tion. For a rotation of an angle T, this formula can
be used:
cos T -sin T 0
sin T cos T 0
0 0 1
As a special argument, instead of passing a matrix, one
can pass the string none, in which case the default
values are used (a unit matrix without filter).
--scale xxy
Changes the dimensions of the output picture. Values
superior to 1 will lead to a compressed screen (screen
dimension bigger than the dimension of the output
mode), and values below 1 leads to a zoom in on the
output. This option is actually a shortcut version of
the --transform option.
--scale-from wxh
Specifies the size in pixels of the area of the frame-
buffer to be displayed on this output. This option is
actually a shortcut version of the --transform option.
--primary
Set the output as primary. It will be sorted first in
Xinerama and RANDR geometry requests.
RandR version 1.2 options
These options are only available for X server supporting
RandR version 1.2 or newer.
--prop, --properties
This option causes xrandr to display the contents of
properties for each output. --verbose also enables
--prop.
--fb widthxheight
Reconfigures the screen to the specified size. All con-
figured monitors must fit within this size. When this
option is not provided, xrandr computes the smallest
screen size that will hold the set of configured out-
puts; this option provides a way to override that be-
haviour.
--fbmm widthxheight
Sets the reported values for the physical size of the
screen. Normally, xrandr resets the reported physical
size values to keep the DPI constant. This overrides
that computation.
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--dpi dpi
This also sets the reported physical size values of the
screen, it uses the specified DPI value to compute an
appropriate physical size using whatever pixel size
will be set.
--newmode name mode
New modelines can be added to the server and then asso-
ciated with outputs. This option does the former. The
mode is specified using the ModeLine syntax for
xorg.conf: clock hdisp hsyncstart hsyncend htotal vdisp
vsyncstart vsyncend vtotal flags. flags can be zero or
more of +HSync, -HSync, +VSync, -VSync, Interlace, Dou-
bleScan, CSync, +CSync, -CSync. Several tools permit to
compute the usual modeline from a height, width, and
refresh rate, for instance you can use cvt.
--rmmode name
This removes a mode from the server if it is otherwise
unused.
--addmode output name
Add a mode to the set of valid modes for an output.
--delmode output name
Remove a mode from the set of valid modes for an out-
put.
Per-output options
--output output
Selects an output to reconfigure. Use either the name
of the output or the XID.
--auto
For connected but disabled outputs, this will enable
them using their first preferred mode (or, something
close to 96dpi if they have no preferred mode). For
disconnected but enabled outputs, this will disable
them.
--mode mode
This selects a mode. Use either the name or the XID for
mode
--preferred
This selects the same mode as --auto, but it doesn't
automatically enable or disable the output.
--pos xxy
Position the output within the screen using pixel coor-
dinates. In case reflection or rotation is applied, the
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translation is applied after the effects.
--rate rate
This marks a preference for refresh rates close to the
specified value, when multiple modes have the same
name, this will select the one with the nearest refresh
rate.
--reflect reflection
Reflection can be one of 'normal' 'x', 'y' or 'xy'.
This causes the output contents to be reflected across
the specified axes.
--rotate rotation
Rotation can be one of 'normal', 'left', 'right' or
'inverted'. This causes the output contents to be
rotated in the specified direction. 'right' specifies a
clockwise rotation of the picture and 'left' specifies
a counter-clockwise rotation.
--left-of, --right-of, --above, --below, --same-as another-
output
Use one of these options to position the output rela-
tive to the position of another output. This allows
convenient tiling of outputs within the screen. The
position is always computed relative to the new posi-
tion of the other output, so it is not valid to say
--output a --left-of b --output b --left-of a.
--set property value
Sets an output property. Integer properties may be
specified as a valid (see --prop) comma-separated list
of decimal or hexadecimal (with a leading 0x) values.
Atom properties may be set to any of the valid atoms
(see --prop). String properties may be set to any
value.
--off
Disables the output.
--crtc crtc
Uses the specified crtc (either as an index in the list
of CRTCs or XID). In normal usage, this option is not
required as xrandr tries to make sensible choices about
which crtc to use with each output. When that fails for
some reason, this option can override the normal selec-
tion.
--gamma red:green:blue
Set the specified floating point values as gamma cor-
rection on the crtc currently attached to this output.
Note that you cannot get two different values for
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cloned outputs (i.e.: which share the same crtc) and
that switching an output to another crtc doesn't change
the crtc gamma corrections at all.
--brightness brightness
Multiply the gamma values on the crtc currently
attached to the output to specified floating value.
Useful for overly bright or overly dim outputs. How-
ever, this is a software only modification, if your
hardware has support to actually change the brightness,
you will probably prefer to use xbacklight.
RandR version 1.1 options
These options are available for X servers supporting RandR
version 1.1 or older. They are still valid for newer X
servers, but they don't interact sensibly with version 1.2
options on the same command line.
-s, --size size-index or --size widthxheight
This sets the screen size, either matching by size or
using the index into the list of available sizes.
-r, --rate, --refresh rate
This sets the refresh rate closest to the specified
value.
-o, --orientation rotation
This specifies the orientation of the screen, and can
be one of normal, inverted, left or right.
-x Reflect across the X axis.
-y Reflect across the Y axis.
EXAMPLES
Sets an output called LVDS to its preferred mode, and on its
right put an output called VGA to preferred mode of a screen
which has been physically rotated clockwise:
xrandr --output LVDS --auto --rotate normal --pos 0x0
--output VGA --auto --rotate left --right-of LVDS
Forces to use a 1024x768 mode on an output called VGA:
xrandr --newmode "1024x768" 63.50 1024 1072 1176 1328
768 771 775 798 -hsync +vsync
xrandr --addmode VGA 1024x768
xrandr --output VGA --mode 1024x768
Enables panning on a 1600x768 desktop while displaying
1024x768 mode on an output called VGA:
xrandr --fb 1600x768 --output VGA --mode 1024x768
--panning 1600x0
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Have one small 1280x800 LVDS screen showing a small version
of a huge 3200x2000 desktop, and have a big VGA screen dis-
play the surrounding of the mouse at normal size.
xrandr --fb 3200x2000 --output LVDS --scale 2.5x2.5
--output VGA --pos 0x0 --panning
3200x2000+0+0/3200x2000+0+0/64/64/64/64
Displays the VGA output in trapezoid shape so that it is
keystone corrected when the projector is slightly above the
screen:
xrandr --fb 1024x768 --output VGA --transform
1.24,0.16,-124,0,1.24,0,0,0.000316,1
SEE ALSO
Xrandr(3), cvt(1), xkeystone(1), xbacklight(1)
AUTHORS
Keith Packard, Open Source Technology Center, Intel Corpora-
tion. and Jim Gettys, Cambridge Research Laboratory, HP
Labs, HP.
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following
attributes:
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
|Availability |x11/x11-server-utilities |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
|Interface Stability |Volatile |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
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