Change default width of gnome-terminal and terminator windows

Question

Only a short question but is it possible to set the default width (and height) of terminal sessions in gnome-terminal and terminator?

I find I always resize the window once it pops up so and given how much I use terminator it makes sense (IMO) to alter the default and save myself some time later on.

score 96 · Accepted Answer · edited Nov 21 '11 at 21:14

96

Terminator does allow you setting up a default size. :)

Just open the file ~/.config/terminator/config with your favorite editor. You should have a section titled [layouts]. You only need to add a line within the sub-section named [[[window0]]] belonging to the [[default]] section. My configuration file, for instance, looks like this:

[global_config]
  enabled_plugins = CustomCommandsMenu, InactivityWatch, ActivityWatch, TerminalShot, LaunchpadCodeURLHandler, LaunchpadBugURLHandler
[keybindings]
[profiles]
  [[default]]
    scrollbar_position = hidden
    visible_bell = True
    scrollback_lines = 1000000
    foreground_color = "#ffffff"
    copy_on_selection = True
    background_color = "#300a24"
[layouts]
  [[default]]
    [[[child1]]]
      type = Terminal
      parent = window0
      profile = default
    [[[window0]]]
      type = Window
      parent = ""
      profile = None
      size = 900, 600
[plugins]

The relevant part is only the line starting with "size", of course.

edited Nov 21 '11 at 21:14

Oli

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answered Nov 21 '11 at 20:55

radioboy

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On Ubuntu 12.04 this file is missing. See here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/terminator/+bug/1007136 – Dave Jun 11 '12 at 14:29
5

The "size" option does not show up in the GUI "Preferences" manager. Also, when I set it in the config file, my window sometimes opens at the correct size, then shrinks itself to some other size. This other size changes inconsistently, and sometimes it stays at the correct size. Any ideas? – Eric Dand Mar 11 '15 at 18:19
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Also, `man terminator_config` has no mention of "size". – Eric Dand Mar 11 '15 at 18:29
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If this file doesn't exist for you then click right in terminator and edit a preference of some kind, then it will automagically create the file for you. – Dave Oct 06 '16 at 15:15
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This size option is in pixels. Try `1400, 800` to start with and go from there... – Dave Oct 06 '16 at 15:18
This works perfectly in Terminator. (Ubuntu Xubuntu 18.04) Thanks. – Cranky Dec 06 '18 at 14:25

score 34 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 23 '16 at 17:01

34

In terminator the GUI option for size is not there. A simple way to set up this is --

First open terminator and set the window size according to your need and comfort.

Right click and go to preference and then to layout.

Click on the terminal name under window and then save the layout.

Thats it, It will open the terminator in the same size, as you have set up, next time you open it.

answered Nov 23 '16 at 17:01

hunch

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Weird gui machanic (nothing seems to update when I click save), but it seems to work, thanks. – Emile Vrijdags May 02 '17 at 10:55
@EmileVrijdags power of terminator outplays its bad organization(now, may be in future they will update)....It is worth giving a effort to adjust to it ...enjoy working with it. – hunch May 04 '17 at 20:17

score 8 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 19 '10 at 16:14

8

I don't know about terminator, but in gnome-terminal there's an option under the profile settings to set the starting dimensions to any number of rows and columns you want, specifically Edit->Profile Preferences.

answered Sep 19 '10 at 16:14

Robert Edward Danhof

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I don't find this option anymore under `Edit -> Profile Preferences`. I remember I have set this option before somehow and I even find a gconf entry for this but I can't find a way to set this which works. Any ideas ? – koushik Oct 10 '10 at 15:26
Hm...you're right. It has vanished from the GUI for some reason. Surely this is all being stored in a config file somewhere... – Robert Edward Danhof Oct 12 '10 at 16:07

score 7 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 19 '10 at 19:07

7

Hey. Assuming that you're calling up terminal from a panel menu or launcher icon, you can just change the instructions in that launcher to included desired geometry.

For example, I have a launcher for gnome-terminal on my gnome-panel which opens up to 80x40. Right click -> properties: command - set to "gnome-terminal (or terminator, whatever) --geometry=80x40"

Useful?

answered Sep 19 '10 at 19:07

emf

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This is a good answer, except when using a keyboard shortcut to launch a terminal. In that case, see the answer by Ben Willams. – Jonathan Hartley Jun 19 '13 at 09:35
I can confirm that this works for terminator. – king_julien Apr 02 '17 at 13:32

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited Apr 06 '17 at 11:24

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Example: gnome-terminal --geometry=80x40+100+200

To make it always keep that setting:

sudo -H gedit /usr/share/vte/termcap/xterm

Locate something simliar to:

:co#80:it#8:li#24:\

co is column number and li is row number. Adjust as you like.

Thanks to https://superuser.com/questions/226167/open-terminal-on-start-in-a-specific-place-and-size

edited Apr 06 '17 at 11:24

Zanna

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answered Sep 17 '13 at 15:12

Gerard

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Axel · Answer 6 · 2010-09-20T12:10:32.597

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try this for gnome-terminal:

go to edit >> profile preferences

look down:

default size: 80 (you want to increase this)
colums: 24: (you want to increase this too!)

sorry if that are not the "right labels", i'm using ubuntu in spanish

edited Sep 20 '10 at 12:10

answered Sep 19 '10 at 22:44

Axel

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score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Sep 25 '10 at 00:43

This has disappeared in the latest version of gnome-terminal, 2.30.2-0ubuntu1. My installation of 10.04 LTS picked up the new gnome-terminal package yesterday, and it no longer obeys the geometry settings in the profile.

The fields for setting the default size have disappeared from the options dialog. The option remains set in gconf, however (at /apps/gnome-terminal/profiles/Default/default_size_columns and default_size_rows).

There's a bug report here:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-terminal/+bug/647156

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Feb 29 '20 at 11:23

0

Accepted answer shows how to launch terminus in a specific size.

If you want to launch it fullscreen or maximized the following option is simpler.

[global_config]
  window_state = maximise
  window_state = fullscreen

answered Feb 29 '20 at 11:23

Borjante

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Change default width of gnome-terminal and terminator windows

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