XFCE

Table of Contents

What Makes XFCE Different

XFCE is a lightweight, modular desktop environment focused on speed and low resource usage. Compared to heavier desktops (like GNOME or KDE Plasma), XFCE aims to:

Use less RAM and CPU
Stay visually simple and consistent
Keep configuration in plain, accessible tools
Change slowly (stable interface over many years)

It’s popular on:

Older or low-spec machines (e.g., 2–4 GB RAM)
Systems where battery life or performance matters
Users who want a “traditional” desktop metaphor (panel + menu + desktop icons)

Common distributions with XFCE editions include Xubuntu, Linux Mint XFCE, Manjaro XFCE, Fedora XFCE Spin, and many others.

Key Components of XFCE

XFCE is made of separate components that can be used together or swapped out:

xfce4-panel – the main panel (taskbar, menus, indicators)
xfdesktop – manages desktop icons and wallpapers
Thunar – the file manager
xfwm4 – the window manager (handles window borders, moving, resizing, tiling)
xfce4-session – session management (login, logout, saved sessions)
xfce4-settings – settings manager and related tools
xfce4-terminal – the default terminal emulator

Knowing these names helps when searching documentation, tweaking settings, or installing/removing features.

The XFCE Desktop Layout

A default XFCE session typically includes:

Top or bottom panel
Contains:

Application menu button
Window list (running applications)
System tray (network, sound, power icons)
Clock and calendar
Workspace switcher

Desktop area

Optional desktop icons (home, filesystem, trash, mounted devices)
Right-click desktop for a context menu (often includes app menu, desktop settings)

Windows (managed by xfwm4)

Titlebar with close, maximize, minimize buttons
Optional “window buttons” like shade/roll-up and stick-on-all-workspaces

XFCE’s layout is easy to customize; almost every part can be moved, resized, or replaced.

Panels and Panel Customization

Panels are central to using XFCE efficiently.

Managing Panels

Right-click any empty space on a panel and choose Panel to:

Add/remove panels
Change panel position (top, bottom, left, right)
Set panel length and row size
Make panels auto-hide or stay visible
Set panel opacity and appearance

You can have multiple panels (for example: one at the top for the menu and indicators, and one at the bottom for windows and workspace switching).

Panel Items (Plugins)

Panel “items” are small components you add to a panel. Common items include:

Whisker Menu or Applications Menu – start menu
Window Buttons – shows open windows
Notification Area – system tray (network, volume, etc.)
Clock – time and date
Workspace Switcher – change virtual desktops
Separator – adds spacing or visual separation
Launcher – shortcut to specific apps
Battery indicator, volume control, keyboard layout, etc.

To add, remove, or move items:

Right-click empty area on panel → Panel → Panel Preferences….
Go to the Items tab.
Use + to add, - to remove, and arrow buttons to reorder.

You can often right-click individual panel items for their own specific settings.

Desktop and Workspaces

Desktop Icons and Desktop Menu

Right-click on the desktop and select Desktop Settings (or similar) to control:

Whether to show desktop icons at all
Which icons appear (Home, Trash, mounted drives, removable media)
Icon size and arrangement
Wallpaper images and how they are displayed (scaled, centered, tiled, etc.)

You can also assign separate wallpapers per workspace if your distribution enables that option.

Right-clicking the desktop also usually opens a menu where you can:

Launch applications (via a simple app menu)
Open settings
Create launchers or folders on the desktop

Workspaces (Virtual Desktops)

XFCE supports multiple workspaces (virtual desktops) to organize your windows.

Ways to use workspaces:

Use the Workspace Switcher panel applet
Use keyboard shortcuts (commonly Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys or function keys; check your Keyboard settings)
Right-click a window’s titlebar → move window to a different workspace

You can configure:

Number of workspaces
Names of workspaces
Shortcuts to navigate or move windows between them

These options are typically in Settings → Workspaces or within the window manager settings.

Thunar File Manager

XFCE’s default file manager is Thunar (thunar).

Key characteristics:

Fast, lightweight, and simple
Single-window, tab-less by default (some versions support tabs, depending on version)
Basic features: copy, move, delete, rename, bookmarks, custom actions

Useful features for beginners:

Side pane: quick access to Home, mounted drives, and bookmarks
Bookmarks: use Bookmarks menu or drag folders into the side pane
Custom actions: right-click → Configure custom actions… to add special right-click operations (e.g., “Open Terminal Here”, “Compress”, etc.)

Since this course covers file managers more generally elsewhere, focus here on knowing Thunar is XFCE’s default and where to find its main options:

Menus at the top (or compact menu button)
Edit → Preferences for behavior (single/double click, default view, etc.)

XFCE Settings and Configuration

XFCE groups most configuration tools under a central Settings Manager.

Settings Manager

You can open it via:

Menu → Settings
A gear icon on the panel (if present)
Running xfce4-settings-manager from a terminal

From there, you’ll see modules such as:

Appearance – themes, icons, fonts
Window Manager – window borders, titlebar buttons, focus behavior
Window Manager Tweaks – extra behavior (compositor, focus, snapping)
Panel – panel configuration (same as right-clicking the panel)
Desktop – desktop icons and wallpapers
Mouse and Touchpad – pointer speed, tapping, scrolling
Keyboard – repeat rate, shortcuts (important for custom key bindings)
Display – monitor resolution, arrangement, mirroring
Power Manager – power-saving behavior
Session and Startup – autostart apps, session saving

Appearance and Themes

Within the Appearance settings:

Style – changes widget theme (buttons, menus, etc.)
Icons – choose icon theme
Fonts – default interface font, antialiasing options
Settings tab – small tweaks like toolbar style, UI behavior

In Window Manager you can choose the window theme (borders and titlebars). This is separate from the general widget theme.

XFCE themes and icon sets can be installed through your distribution’s package manager or manually in your home directory (usually ~/.themes and ~/.icons).

Window Management in XFCE

The XFCE window manager (xfwm4) is lightweight but still feature-rich.

Key behaviors you can modify in Window Manager and Window Manager Tweaks:

Focus behavior:

Click-to-focus vs. focus-follows-mouse
Whether to raise windows when focused

Titlebar buttons:

Which buttons to show (close, maximize, minimize, shade, stick)
Their order on the titlebar

Window snapping and tiling:

Snap to screen edges or other windows
“Tile” windows to the left/right half of the screen by dragging to screen edges (or using shortcuts)

Compositor:

Basic compositing for shadows, transparency, and smooth movement
Can be disabled to save resources or fix graphics issues

Keyboard shortcuts for window management (move, resize, tile to left/right, maximize) can be customized in the Keyboard and Window Manager settings.

Power Management in XFCE

XFCE uses xfce4-power-manager to control power behavior.

You’ll typically find options under:

Settings → Power Manager
A battery icon on the panel

From there you can configure:

Behavior when closing the lid (on laptops): suspend, hibernate, do nothing
Actions on power button or sleep button
Display blanking, dimming, and screen lock timing
Separate settings for when on battery vs. plugged in

This makes XFCE suitable for laptops while still being light on resources.

Autostart and Sessions

XFCE’s session management allows you to control what starts when you log in and whether your open applications are remembered.

In Settings → Session and Startup:

Application Autostart tab:

Enable/disable programs that automatically start on login
Add new startup items (e.g., a note app, clipboard manager, custom script)

Session tab:

Choose whether to automatically save the session when you log out
Manually save or clear the current session

If session saving is enabled, XFCE will try to reopen the same applications and windows on next login.

Customization Tips for Beginners

For a comfortable beginner-friendly XFCE setup, you might:

Simplify the panel

Keep one main panel with: menu, window buttons, systray, clock, and a workspace switcher.
Remove rarely used applets to avoid clutter.

Add application launchers

Right-click panel → Panel → Add New Items… → Launcher.
Add your most-used apps (web browser, file manager, terminal, text editor).

Adjust keyboard shortcuts

Settings → Keyboard → Application Shortcuts to:

Open terminal with a key combo
Launch your file manager or browser quickly

Tune appearance

Settings → Appearance and Window Manager to select a theme and font size that’s comfortable for your eyes.

Set power behavior (especially on laptops)

Settings → Power Manager to ensure the lid action and screen blanking match your preferences.

XFCE’s strength is in giving you these options without being heavy or complex, making it a good “first customizable desktop” for new Linux users.

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