Platform-specific Desktop Tips

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Stay Tuned Documentation Post Install Advice Previous page: Stay Tuned Index page: Documentation Next page: Post Install Advice Platform-specific Desktop Tips

Whonix Platform-specific Desktop Tips and Tricks, RAM Adjusted Desktop Starter, Virtual Console, Full-Screen

All Platforms

Disable Terminal Emulator Banner

The following greeting banner appears when a terminal shell bash prompt is opened.

Welcome to Whonix!

https://www.whonix.org

Whonix Copyright (C) 2012 - 2025 ENCRYPTED SUPPORT LLC Whonix is Freedom Software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; type "whonix-license" <enter> for details. Whonix is a compilation of software packages, each under its own copyright and license. The exact license terms for each program are described in the individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.

Whonix GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law; for details type "whonix-disclaimer" <enter>.

Whonix is a derivative of Debian GNU/Linux and based on Tor.

Whonix is produced independently from the Tor (r) anonymity software and carries no guarantee from The Tor Project about quality, suitability or anything else.

Whonix is a research project.

default user account: user default password: No password required. (Passwordless login.)

Type: "whonix" <enter> for help.

To disable the banner, follow these steps.

1. If user-sysmaint-split is installed, boot into PERSISTENT Mode | SYSMAINT Session | system maintenance tasks.

2. Open a terminal.

Select your platform.

Non-Qubes-Whonix USER Session

If you are using a graphical Whonix with LXQt, complete the following steps.

Start menu → System Tools → QTerminal

Non-Qubes-Whonix SYSMAINT Session

In the System Maintenance Panel, under the Misc section, click Open Terminal.

Qubes-Whonix

If you are using Qubes-Whonix, complete the following steps.

Qubes App Launcher (blue/grey "Q") → Whonix-Workstation™ App Qube (commonly named anon-whonix) → QTerminal

3. Run the following command.

sudo chmod -x /etc/update-motd.d/30_dist-base-files

4. Done.

The process is now complete.

See also: Disable Virtual Console Banner.

Shut Down Whonix

To shut down Whonix, open a terminal and run.

sudo poweroff

Alternatively, use the menu option:

• Non-Qubes-Whonix:
  • In user sessions: Start Menu → Log Out → Shut Down
  • In sysmaint sessions: click the Shut Down button in the System Maintenance Panel
• Qubes-Whonix^™: Blue Q button → Qubes Tools → Qubes Manager → sys-whonix → Shutdown

Virtual Consoles

On the Host

Virtual consoles is a feature inherited from Debian GNU/Linux which is unfamiliar to many users. The following keyboard shortcuts activate the Debian (not Whonix) feature:

• Text console: Press Alt + Ctrl + F1
  • Additional text consoles: Press Alt + Ctrl + F2 or F3 and so on. Try these in case F1 is not functional.
• Graphical console: Press Alt + Ctrl + F7

See also Protection against Physical Attacks, Virtual Consoles.

Virtual Machines

Virtual Console Activation

Platform	Steps
KVM	The desired virtual console key shortcut can be selected under the Send Key option in a VM's graphical window.
Qubes dom0	Qubes dom0 inherited the same feature (Alt + Ctrl + F1...).
Qubes VMs	In order to access VMs in dom0, run: sudo xl console vm-name. Replace "vm-name" with the name of the actual VM, for example. sudo xl console sys-whonix See also add Qubes host key to allow switching virtual console (ctrl + alt + F1) or SysRq for HVM.
VirtualBox	The VirtualBox default is Right Ctrl + F2. Text console: Press Right Ctrl + F2 (F1, F2, F3, F4...) for one or more text consoles. Graphical console: Press Host Key + F7 for a graphical console inside VirtualBox.

Due to technical limitations, an easier to understand presentation like Whonix username login: or something similar cannot be shown.

1. Enter your username (this is most likely user) and press <enter>.
2. Enter your password and press <enter>.

• Default username: user
• Default password: No password required. (Passwordless login.)

Banner Explanation

In the Whonix case, the virtual console will show host login:. This can be confusing and has nothing to do with the actual host that Whonix is running on. The string host is retrieved from file /etc/hostname which for privacy reasons is set to host in Whonix. Therefore do not enter your host (the system Whonix is running on) username or host password.

Due to technical limitations, an easier to understand presentation like Whonix username login: or something similar cannot be shown.

Login Instructions

1. Note the Banner Explanation.
2. Enter your username (this is most likely user) and press <enter>.
3. Enter your password and press <enter>.

• Default username: user
• Default password: No password required. (Passwordless login.)

Disable Virtual Console Banner

This process is similar to Disable Terminal Emulator Banner.

1. If user-sysmaint-split is installed, boot into PERSISTENT Mode | SYSMAINT Session | system maintenance tasks.

2. Open a virtual console.

3. Move the /etc/issue.whonix file out of the way.

sudo mv /etc/issue.whonix /etc/issue.whonix.bak

4. Create an empty file in its place.

sudo touch /etc/issue.whonix

5. (Optional) Divert /usr/lib/issue.d/20_security-misc.issue to prevent the unauthorized access warning from being displayed either.

sudo dpkg-divert --divert /usr/lib/issue.d/20_security-misc.issue.bak --rename /usr/lib/issue.d/20_security-misc.issue

6. Done

The procedure is complete.

Non-Qubes-Whonix

Disable Autologin

Not very useful inside VMs, see also Login Screen.

Autologin is enabled by default in the login manager by Whonix.

See Login#Configuring_GUI_Autologin for detailed instructions on disabling autologin.

RAM Adjusted Desktop Starter

RAM Adjusted Desktop Starter will not start the desktop environment. The terminal-based Whonix-Gateway^™ can be used instead.

By default, Whonix-Gateway VMs are configured with 1280 MB of virtual RAM. This can be reduced on systems with limited available resources.

• If total VM-accessible RAM is more than 480 MB, the default graphical desktop environment (DE) (LXQt) is started. (Some RAM will be reserved for the virtual hardware, so in practice one must assign more than 512 MB RAM for the desktop to start. 768 MB RAM is the minimum recommended.)
• If total VM-accessible RAM is 480 MB or less, the DE is not started.

This feature is useful for users with low RAM, as Whonix-Gateway can still function with as little as 512 MB of RAM in a CLI-only environment.

If configuration or troubleshooting is needed, assigning 768 MB of RAM will automatically boot into the graphical desktop environment. Additional settings are available in the /etc/rads.d folder to configure this feature: more RAM can be allocated (while still opting not to start a desktop environment), different display managers can be used, and so on. See the /etc/rads.d/30_default.conf file for configuration examples.

For more information, see RAM Adjusted Desktop Starter.

Disable the Graphical Desktop Environment

This is for advanced users only.

To stop the graphical desktop environment.

sudo systemctl stop greetd

To disable automatic start at boot of the graphical desktop environment.

sudo systemctl disable greetd

To restart the graphical desktop environment.

sudo systemctl start greetd

To re-enable automatic start at boot of the graphical desktop environment.

sudo systemctl enable greetd

Do not attempt to uninstall the graphical desktop environment. This would require removal of Whonix meta packages, and Whonix meta packages are not designed to be removed. If you want a Whonix server installation, download the Whonix CLI version or build it from source code. See VirtualBox#CLI and KVM#CLI.

related: Using Whonix with Other Desktop Environments such as GNOME, KDE, LXDE, MATE, ...)

Use Full-screen Mode

It is recommended to work in full-screen mode; this feature is also inherited from VirtualBox and KVM. When full-screen mode is enabled, the Whonix virtual display will automatically increase its resolution to the host system's resolution.

VirtualBox

To activate and deactivate full-screen mode, press the VirtualBox Host Key + F. The current Host Key is visible in the bottom right corner of VirtualBox. The VirtualBox default is Right Ctrl + F.

Host key can be changed using VirtualBox → Global Settings → Input → Host Key.

KVM

To activate full-screen mode when using virt-manager, open the VM window, then click View → Fullscreen. To deactivate full-screen mode, move the mouse pointer to the top middle of the screen, and click the Leave fullscreen button.

LXQt Scaling

Undocumented.

Default Home Folder Configuration Files Reset

Before following these instructions to wipe the whole LXQt settings folder and restore defaults, it is recommended to backup existing LXQt settings.

1. Logout from and stop LXQt by clicking Application Menu → Power button → Logout → Yes.

2. Open a virtual console.

3. Delete folder ~/.config/lxqt.

safe-rm -rf ~/.config/lxqt

4. Delete folder ~/.config/pcmanfm-qt.

safe-rm -rf ~/.config/pcmanfm-qt

5. Delete folder ~/.config/qterminal.org.

safe-rm -rf ~/.config/qterminal.org

6. Switch back to the login screen by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F7, then log in. LXQt will automatically regenerate its settings files as needed.

7. Done.

The process has been completed.

Qubes-Whonix

Avoid VM Full Screen Mode

It is not recommended to allow Qubes-Whonix or other VMs to completely "own" the full screen. Overriding Qubes' GUI virtualization daemon restrictions means the colored decorations drawn by each VM window will not be visible. In this case, a malicious application might not actually release the full screen (while it appears normal), or the full desktop may be emulated so users are tricked into entering sensitive information inside false "trusted" domains.

See Also

• Keyboard Layout

Footnotes

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