Xfce Forum

AndyM48

Member

Registered: 2023-02-12

Posts: 26

Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

Xfce4 4.20
xfdesktop 4.20

I know that I can stop xfdesktop, but that also stops the right-click on desktop actions. I am not worried about the desktop icons, I don't use them, but I need to manage the wallpaper with hsetroot or similar.

I search for this and found

To enable/disable wallpaper/workspace:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/single-workspace-mode -s <TRUE_OR_FALSE>

but this was quite old and I don't think it applies anymore.

If I can't disable the wallpaper, can I use something else to provide the right-click actions?

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,598

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

Its not possible to stop xfdesktop from managing the wallpaper - that functionality doesn't exist. However, you can use any tool that supports setting the image via windowid (assuming you are running X windows and not wayland) to over-write xfdesktop's wallpaper load. This will allow the xfdesktop right-click menu to function, but will disable icon functionality.

One such tool is xloadimage:
Note: you need to have wmctrl installed - I use it to automatically get the root window ID.

Edit: Nevermind, it doesn't seem to work - left clicking on the desktop removes the image and brings up the xfdesktop image.

Last edited by ToZ (2026-03-22 18:58:13)

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AndyM48

Member

Registered: 2023-02-12

Posts: 26

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

Thanks anyway.

If I can't disable the wallpaper, can I use something else to provide the right-click actions?

eriefisher

Wanderer

From: ON, Canada

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 963

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

What is the end goal here? why do you need to use hsetroot?

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But it's all right, when you're all in pain and you feel the rain come down
It's alright, when you find your way, then you see it disappear
It's alright....
Chris Cornell

AndyM48

Member

Registered: 2023-02-12

Posts: 26

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

I like a certain desktop layout: cairo-desk and stalonetray. To set stalonetray to a transparent background requires something like hsetroot. Before I bought a laptop with a hidpi screen I used openbox, but I cannot make that scale the desktop correctly. The best DE for my needs seems to be XFCE4, (I tried several) but now I have two programmes setting the desktop image.

eriefisher

Wanderer

From: ON, Canada

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 963

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

I don't know what cairo-desk is so I can't help there.

It's been a while since I've played with openbox but I found this for hidpi.
https://thebadsleep.excus.eu/2022/05/16 … d-scaling/
https://unix.stackexchange.com/question … le-problem

If it's actually Openbox you like you might like Labwc. Basically Openbox standards with Wayland.
https://labwc.github.io/index.html

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But it's all right, when you're all in pain and you feel the rain come down
It's alright, when you find your way, then you see it disappear
It's alright....
Chris Cornell

AndyM48

Member

Registered: 2023-02-12

Posts: 26

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

It was rather late for me, of course I meant cairo-dock 

Those articles propose some fairly straightforward changes, e.g. dpi, but they do not scale everything in the same way that xfce4 manages to do. In fact I tried Mate with openbox and it had all the same problems with scaling, which is why I have stuck with xfce4.

May be it's time to try wayland.

eriefisher

Wanderer

From: ON, Canada

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 963

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

I haven't really played with cairo-dock but I thought it had it's own system tray?

---

But it's all right, when you're all in pain and you feel the rain come down
It's alright, when you find your way, then you see it disappear
It's alright....
Chris Cornell

AndyM48

Member

Registered: 2023-02-12

Posts: 26

Re: Is it possible to stop xfdesktop managing the wallpaer

Yes, it does, but I don't like it