Automatically log into Xfce without a login manager

July 13, 2006 at 8:24 am | Posted in tips and tricks, xubuntu | 20 Comments

This has been done countless times before. However, I want to provide a version that doesn’t require messing with gcc and removing xubuntu-desktop. This howto is based off of this message from the Ubuntu Lite group.

1) Install mingetty:
sudo aptitude install mingetty

2) Edit your .bash_profile file. This controls what happens when you log in:

mousepad .bash_profile

And paste this in, at the bottom of the file:

# autologin tty2
if [ -z "$DISPLAY" ] && [ $(tty) == /dev/tty2 ];
then
exec startxfce4
fi

Save the file, and exit.

3) Edit /etc/inittab (sudo mousepad /etc/inittab), and replace the following line:

1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty2

with

#1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty --autologin
YOURUSERNAME tty2

Obviously, replace YOURUSERNAME with your username. Save the file and exit.

4) Stop GDM from loading on startup. Go to Xfce menu > Services, and uncheck “Graphical Login Manager (gdm)”.

5) Reboot. While this saves RAM, Xfce’s default Quit menu does not work (for me, anyway.) To fix this, create a group that can shutdown your computer:

sudo addgroup shutdown

Then, edit /etc/group:

sudo mousepad /etc/group

Scroll down to the bottom, and write in your username after shutdown:x:1001:.

Then, run

export EDITOR=mousepad && sudo visudo

And paste in:

%shutdown ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /sbin/halt, /sbin/reboot, /sbin/shutdown

Then, right click the Xfce menu > run, Edit menu, and create shortcuts to gksudo /sbin/halt and gksudo /sbin/reboot. Save your menu, and exit.

Now, your computer will automatically log in, and save some RAM and CPU cycles along the way.