How to start terminal in full screen?

Question

When I open a terminal using CTRL+ALT+T in Unity, I would like this window to be automatically maximized, rather than to have to additionally hit ALT+SPACE and the 'X' key to make the window that contains it maximized.

If my memory serves me right, I do remember that there used to be a maximize mode that we can set in preferences, but I can't seem to find it now. Any ideas?

Solution 1

You can use the Compiz Window Rules plugin for this.

1. Make sure you have the CompizConfig Settings Manager installed and run it.

2. Then, enable the Window Rules plugin:

   

   and set it so that windows with the class Gnome-terminal are matched:

   

If you're using a different terminal, use the + button to build up a match expression for your terminal.

If you'd like your terminal to be fullscreen instead, you can use the appropriate rule in the plugin's config dialog.

In newer versions of Ubuntu (definitely in 16.04) you need to have compiz-plugins installed package to access Window Rules.
If you don't have it you need to install it with sudo apt install compiz-plugins and reboot.

Solution 2

@Bhargav was close to what you need to maximise the window - you just need to use big numbers.

• Open a Terminal
• Select Profile Preferences from the Edit Menu.
• Tick Use custom default terminal size and enter a default size that is too large for the screen e.g. 240 columns and 100 rows.
• Click close then open a new Terminal by clicking the icon OR pressing Ctrl + Alt + T

The new terminal window should be maximised.

Can I add that your question is a bit vague, the title asks for full screen (I take that as fills the entire screen, with no panels or unity bar visible) but the actual question asks how it can be automatically maximised (fill the desktop space leaving panels and unity bar visible) which are two different request in my book.

Based upon advice I was given here: How to make terminal start maximized?

Solution 3

Go to System Settings -> Keyboard. Under the "Shortcuts" tab, go to "Custom Shortcuts". Create a new entry named "Launch Terminal Fullscreen" (or whatever), and enter the following as the command:

gnome-terminal --window --full-screen

You're supposed to be able to click on that entry and then press the key combination you wish to use in order to set the new keyboard shortcut, but for some reason, that wasn't working for me. If that's the case, you might need to edit the launcher shortcuts manually...

According to this page, the keyboard shortcuts for Unity can be found at:

~/.gconf/desktop/gnome/keybindings

Each keybinding seems to be in a separate folder, named "custom0", "custom1", etc. Edit the "%gconf.xml" file found in one of these folders which contains the keyboard shortcut definition you just added in the "Settings -> Keyboard" dialog, (if you added one). Here's mine, mapped to "CTRL-ALT-m":

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gconf>
<entry name="action" mtime="1381112788" type="string">
    <stringvalue>gnome-terminal --window --full-screen</stringvalue>
</entry>
<entry name="name" mtime="1381112788" type="string">
    <stringvalue>Launch Terminal Fullscreen</stringvalue>
</entry>
<entry name="binding" mtime="1381110910" type="string">
    <stringvalue>&lt;Primary&gt;&lt;Alt&gt;m</stringvalue>
</entry>
</gconf>

I suppose you could try just copying the above into a new file named "%gconf.xml", and putting it in a new folder named "customX", (where "X" is the next available number), in the ~/.gconf/desktop/gnome/keybindingsfolder. I haven't tried this, yet.

After editing the XML by hand, I logged off and logged back in in order to force a re-scan of the keybindings, and voila!

Solution 4

I realise this is old now but thought other people might be having the same trouble.

This worked for me. Open a terminal and type:

    sudo gnome-desktop-item-edit /usr/share/applications/gnome-terminal.desktop

Then put:

    --maximize

in the 'Command:' box, after 'gnome-terminal'

You might need to adjust your keyboard shortcuts. Can't remember as mine are all custom anyway.

Solution 5

If you want a truly full-screen terminal, press CTRL-ALT-F#, where # can be 1-6 (I.E. CTRL-ALT-F1). To return to Ubuntu, press CTRL-ALT-F7.

View more solutions

Comments

[Carel Meyer]

That's just using the terminal. What I'm referring to is inside Unity and having the terminal come up in a window in Unity :)

[Carel Meyer]

Nice! Just what I'm looking for! Thanks! However, do you happen to know the files in which the CompizConfig modifies to achieve this? Maybe I can edit it directly rather than install a whole program just to get one simple task done. :)

[Eliah Kagan]

That makes an already-running Terminal take up the whole screen. This question is asking how to set things up so that the Terminal takes up the whole screen automatically, whenever it is launched.

[umpirsky]

No window rules in latest compiz manager-?

[Jacob]

You have to install the compiz-plugins package (sudo apt-get install compiz-plugins).

[Nikola Ivanov Nikolov]

That's the easiest way to do it IMHO. no playing around with Compiz, no having to create a new application shortcut, etc.

[texasflood]

This is the best solution. Ubuntu 15.04 does not have gnome-desktop-item-edit, so replace that with vi instead. Then go to the line that says Exec=gnome-terminal and change it to Exec=gnome-terminal --maximize. Also, go to Keyboard in System Settings, and remove the shortcut for the normal terminal, add a custom shortcut with the command gnome-terminal --maximize. Be aware, this changes it for all users.

[Dan Nissenbaum]

The above comment should be the accepted answer.

[Dummy]

Works great in 16.10 @user907860

[axolotl]

this solution makes it maximal-sized, but still not maximized. on certain installations and desktop managers, the two are not the same. maximal-sizing will still leave a default thin strip around a window to make it appear that the window is floating. maximized is when the window in question is the only window you can possibly focus on unless you open a different window

[JaR]

Same goes for mate-terminal --maximize

[mbhargav294]

This may not be the correct answer for the question. But, helped me to get out of the terminal that I accidentally opened by hitting CTRL - ALT - F1.

[Richard]

Seems like the --window argument is unnecessary.

[Herpes Free Engineer]

worked well in 20.04.2