Ubuntu 17.10 and later: Don't suspend when lid is closed, just lock screen

Question

Since my upgrade to Ubuntu 17.10 there's no option in the settings about what to do when the notebook-lid is closed any more.

Before this function had the options "do nothing" and "suspend" and maybe "shutdown".

The "do nothing" function did something: when the lid was closed, the display went dark and the screen was locked with the password.

My question is how to change the setting so that it's like I'm used to, so that the screen just locks but doesn't suspend when closing the lid.

Solution 1

To disable suspend on lid-close

1. Install Tweaks (gnome-tweak-tool) by running

   sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool
   

2. Launch Tweaks, go to the "Power" section and disable suspend on lid-close.

   

To enable lock on lid-close

Undo the above steps before following this. Also, SAVE ALL YOUR WORK, the second command would require you to reboot.

1. Add the lines below in /etc/systemd/logind.conf

   [Login]
   HandleLidSwitch=lock  
   

2. Run

   sudo systemctl restart systemd-logind
   

Sources

• freedesktop.org - logind.conf
• How to Change Lid Close Action in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS - Tips on Ubuntu

Solution 2

In Ubuntu 18.04 Gnome desktop, there is no option in the Settings utility for configuring the laptop lid close actions. And Gnome Tweaks only offers a switch to enable / disable the "Suspend when laptop lid is closed" option.

For those who want it to shut down automatically, hibernate, or do nothing when the laptop lid is closed, here’s how to do it by hacking the configuration file:

1. Open a terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for “Terminal” from start menu. When it opens, run the following command:

   sudo gedit /etc/systemd/logind.conf
   

2. When the files opens, uncomment the line #HandleLidSwitch=suspend by removing # in the beginning, and change the value to :

   • HandleLidSwitch=poweroff: shutdown / power off when lid is closed.
   • HandleLidSwitch=hibernate: hibernate when lid is closed (need to test if hibernate works).
   • HandleLidSwitch=ignore: do nothing.
   • HandleLidSwitch=suspend: suspend laptop when lid is closed.

3. Save the file and finally restart the Systemd service to apply changes via command:

   systemctl restart systemd-logind.service
   

Source

Solution 3

You could install dconf-editor to change what happens when lid is closed.

sudo apt-get install dconf-editor

go to org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power in dconf-editor. you can change the value of lid-close-ac-action and lid-close-battery-action for changing the action when lid closed.The possible values are 'suspend','hibernate','logout','shutdown','nothing'.

Via CLI would be:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-battery-action suspend

Comments

[Admin]

thanks, at least closing the lid dont suspends the notebook anymore. but now it really does "nothing" but turning the screen of. after reopening the screen is not locked and i dont need my password. (like usual before 17.10). maybe someone knows how to change this via terminal?

[Legolas]

I appended few additional steps. Can you check and confirm?

[Admin]

No. first editing wasn't so easy, since everythings different with 17.10, solution: "sudo gedit admin:///etc/systemd/logind.conf" (via askubuntu.com/a/968196/755218 ) now the last line of the saved file is "HandleLidSwitch=lock". hand to do a hard poweroff after running the command, but when i now close the lid nothing changes.

[Legolas]

I have added the exact content of my file in the answer. I have checked it, this works, and yes you would have to do a hard reboot.

[Admin]

No don't works with me, this is how the file looks after editing and still after reboot: i.stack.imgur.com/o9d9P.png

[conualfy]

I have posted a Gnome bug report, please also support adding this to settings, I have bad experiences with them and having lots of people asking for it might help. Here it is: bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=790043

[karim]

In Unity one could configure this lid behavior conditional on the power state -- i.e. suspend when lid is closed on battery power, but do not suspend when lid is closed on AC (e.g. when device may be used in 'clamshell' mode connected to external monitor and keyboard). Is this possible in Gnome in 17.10?

[Scooter]

I have Unity Tweak Tool 0.0.7 . I don't see a "Power" section. I have four major areas [Unity, Window Manager, Appearance, System]. None of them has a section called "Power". – Scooter 1 min ago edit

[Gaurav Gupta]

For ubuntu 18.04, after installing gnome-tweak-tool, run gnome-tweaks. It has been renamed for ubuntu 18.04

[Daniel F]

Excellent! Also HandleLidSwitch=ignore just turns off the screen and turns it on again when opened, without locking.

[Fabby]

LuFFy: An edit and an upvote. Use 8 spaces instead of 4 when you're indenting or using numbered or bulleted lists. have a look at my edits to see how I did it... ;-)

[Guilherme]

it didn't work at me, but i don't know why

[Guilherme]

but i just want to blank, how can i do that?

[Guilherme]

but, when I did it after I reboot the pc the changes just disappear