XRANDR(1) User Commands XRANDR(1)

NAME

xrandr - primitive command line interface to RandR extension

SYNOPSIS

xrandr [--help] [--display display] [-q] [-v] [--verbose] [--dryrun]
[--screen snum] [--q1] [--q12] [--current] [--noprimary] [--panning
widthxheight[+x+y[/track_widthxtrack_height+track_x+track_y[/border_left/border_top/border_right/border_bottom]]]]
[--scale x[xy]] [--scale-from wxh] [--transform a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i]
[--primary] [--prop] [--fb widthxheight] [--fbmm widthxheight] [--dpi
dpi] [--dpi from-output] [--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] [--listmonitors] [--listactivemonitors] [--setmonitor
name geometry outputs] [--delmonitor name]

DESCRIPTION

Xrandr is used to set the size, orientation and/or reflection 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 immediately 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 information
about the server state. Please note that the gamma and
brightness information are only approximations of the complete
color profile stored in the server. When used along with
options that reconfigure 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 monitor (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 1.5 options
Options for RandR 1.5 are used as a superset of the options for RandR
1.4.

--listmonitors
Report information about all defined monitors.

--listactivemonitors
Report information about currently active monitors.

--setmonitor name geometry outputs
Define a new monitor with the given geometry and associated to
the given outputs. The output list is either the keyword none
or a comma-separated list of outputs. The geometry is either
the keyword auto, in which case the monitor will automatically
track the geometry of the associated outputs, or a manual
specification in the form w/mmwxh/mmh+x+y where w, h, x, y are
in pixels and mmw, mmh are the physical dimensions of the
monitor.

--delmonitor name
Delete the given user-defined monitor.

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.
If source is 0x0, then provider is disconnected from its
current output source.

--setprovideroffloadsink provider sink
Set provider as a render offload device for sink. This is
only possible if provider and sink have the Source Offload and
Sink Offload capabilities, respectively. If sink is 0x0, then
provider is disconnected from its current render offload sink.

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

--panning
widthxheight[+x+y[/track_widthxtrack_height+track_x+track_y[/border_left/border_top/border_right/border_bottom]]]
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 output. A
bilinear filter is selected automatically unless the --filter
parameter is also specified. 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 precisely, the vector (x y) of the
output pixel is extended to 3 values (x y w), with 1 as the w
coordinate and multiplied against the matrix. The final device
coordinates of the pixel are then calculated with the so-
called homogenic division by the transformed w coordinate. In
other words, the device coordinates (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 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 rotation. 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).

--filter filtermode
Chooses the scaling filter method to be applied when the
screen is scaled or transformed. Can be either 'bilinear' or
'nearest'.

--scale x[xy]
Changes the dimensions of the output picture. If the y value
is omitted, the x value will be used for both dimensions.
Values larger than 1 lead to a compressed screen (screen
dimension bigger than the dimension of the output mode), and
values less than 1 lead 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 framebuffer 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 configured
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 outputs; this option provides a way
to override that behaviour.

--fbmm widthxheight
Sets the value reported as physical size of the X screen as a
whole (union of all configured monitors). In configurations
with multiple monitors with different DPIs, the value has no
physical meaning, but it may be used by some legacy clients
which do not support RandR version 1.2 to compute a reference
font scaling. Normally, xrandr resets the reported physical
size values to keep the DPI constant. This overrides that
computation. Default DPI value is 96.

--dpi dpi

--dpi from-output
This also sets the value reported as physical size of the X
screen as a whole (union of all configured monitors). In
configurations with multiple monitors with different DPIs, the
value has no physical meaning, but it may be used by some
legacy clients which do not support RandR version 1.2 to
compute a reference font scaling. This option uses either the
specified DPI value, or the DPI of the given output, to
compute an appropriate physical size using whatever pixel size
will be set. Typical values are the default (96 DPI), the DPI
of the only monitor in single-monitor configurations, or the
DPI of the primary monitor in multi-monitor configurations.

--newmode name mode
New modelines can be added to the server and then associated
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, DoubleScan, 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 output.

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 coordinates.
In case reflection or rotation is applied, the 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 relative to
the position of another output. This allows convenient tiling
of outputs within the screen. The position is always computed
relative to the new position 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 selection.

--gamma red[:green:blue]
Set the specified floating point values as gamma correction on
the crtc currently attached to this output. If green and blue
are not specified, the red value will be used for all three
components. Note that you cannot get two different values for
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. However, 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

Have one small 1280x800 LVDS screen showing a small version of a huge
3200x2000 desktop, and have a big VGA screen display 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 Corporation. and
Jim Gettys, Cambridge Research Laboratory, HP Labs, HP.

X Version 11 xrandr 1.5.3 XRANDR(1)