This is just a place to record useful computer/desktop tips and tricks.

Linux

General

  1. Virtual Consoles

    Virtual consoles are text-mode…uhh…virtual consoles that are accessible outside the normal graphical desktop. These may be used to rescue your system in instances of more severe graphical crashes. These virtual consoles may be accessed with keyboard shortcuts, normally Ctrl+Alt+F3 through Ctrl+Alt+F6. In Fedora Linux, the second virtual console shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+F2) is reserved for the graphical session, generally.

    Here’s a simple example of using a virtual console to restart a crashed X session (please note that this is for reference mostly, and hopefully isn’t something you should have to do with any frequency):

    1. Press Ctrl+Alt+F3 to access a virtual console.
    2. You will be presented with a login prompt on the virtual console. Log in with your normal username and password.
    3. Run sudo systemctl restart sddm ; exit (This requires that you are able to use “sudo” and are using the SDDM session manager…it is possible you are using a different session manager).

    If all worked successfully, the above steps will restart your graphical session and return you to the graphical login screen.

    See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_console https://www.makeuseof.com/what-are-linux-virtual-consoles

KDE/Plasma

  1. Reloading Plasma

    This is a useful tip if you want to restart Plasma without logging out completely. It’s often useful for when you experience some graphical glitch yet your system is still responsive.

    1. Open KRunner with the “Alt+Space” key combination. A small input box (KRunner) should appear towards the top of your screen.
    2. Inside the KRunner input box, enter plasmashell --replace and press the “Enter” key. This command will restart the Plasma shell without logging you out of your session.

  2. KRunner

    KRunner is the launcher that is built into the Plasma Desktop. It has a lot of useful features. If you are using KDE/Plasma, this is a great utility that is worth looking into. You can read more about it here:

    https://userbase.kde.org/Plasma/Krunner/en