Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

Common tasks

Step-by-step answers to everyday jobs. Each one links to the page with more detail.

Most settings live in Settings, which opens with Super+, (Super and the comma key). In Settings, start typing to search for any setting.

Apps and windows

Open an app

  1. Press Alt+P.
  2. Type part of the app’s name.
  3. Press Enter.

Open a terminal

Press Alt+Shift+Enter.

Close a window

Press Alt+C.

Install an app

  1. Press Super+Space and type package.
  2. Choose INSTALL › Package….
  3. Type the package’s name and press Enter. A terminal opens and installs it.

Or in a terminal: sudo pacman -S and the package’s name.

Keep a website as an app

  1. Press Super+Space and type web app.
  2. Choose INSTALL › Web app….
  3. Type a name and the site’s address.

The site opens in its own window and appears in the app launcher. See Web apps.

Move a window to another workspace

Press Alt+Shift and the workspace’s number. See Windows and workspaces.

Look and feel

Change the theme

  1. Press Super+Ctrl+Shift+Space. The theme switcher opens, with a picture of your desktop in each theme.
  2. Choose a theme with the arrow keys, or type part of its name.
  3. Press Enter. Every app changes colour within a second.

See Themes and worlds.

Turn off the animated background

Press Super+Shift+B. Press it again to turn it back on.

To keep the background but make it calmer, see the next task.

Reduce motion

  1. Open Settings › Accessibility.
  2. Under motion, choose Reduced for a calmer desktop, or Still for a background that doesn’t move.

See Accessibility.

Show or hide the panels

Press Super+W to show or hide all of them. To choose which panels show, open Settings › Widgets. See Panels.

Network, sound and devices

Connect to Wi-Fi

  1. Open Settings › Network.
  2. Choose your network from the list.
  3. If it has a lock, type its password. bromigOS remembers it.

Change the volume, or switch speakers

  • Use your keyboard’s volume keys, or scroll over the volume on the bar.
  • To switch speakers or headphones, rest the pointer on the volume on the bar and choose one in the sound popup. Settings › Sound has the same choice.

Mute the desktop’s own sounds

Press Super+Shift+M. This mutes the theme’s sound cues and VECTOR’s voice. Your apps keep their sound.

Pair a Bluetooth device

  1. Put the device in pairing mode.
  2. Click the Bluetooth icon on the bar and choose SCAN.
  3. Choose PAIR beside the device when it appears.

Bluetooth has the steps for an Xbox controller and for headphones.

Set up your monitors

  1. Open Settings › Displays.
  2. Drag the monitors in the picture to match your desk, and set each one’s resolution and scale.
  3. Choose Apply. bromigOS asks whether to keep the new settings. If you don’t answer within 15 seconds, it puts the old ones back.

Change the keyboard layout

Open Settings › Keyboard & input and choose your layout. You can add a second layout and a key to switch between them.

Screen and power

Take a screenshot

  • Press Alt+Y and drag out an area.
  • Press Alt+Shift+Y for the whole of the monitor you’re on.

The picture goes to ~/Pictures/screenshots and is copied to the clipboard, ready to paste.

Record the screen

Press Alt+Shift+R and drag out an area. Press it again to stop. The video goes to ~/Videos/recordings.

Lock the screen

Press Super+L.

Stop the screen locking while you watch something

Click the eye on the bar. Nothing locks or sleeps for an hour. Click it again to stop. See Idle and lock.

Turn off the lock when you’re away

  1. Open Settings › Idle & lock.
  2. Choose Screensaver only. The screensaver still starts, but the screen doesn’t lock.

Shut down or restart

Press Alt+Shift+E and choose from the power menu.

Stop notifications for a while

Open Settings › Notifications and turn on Do not disturb.

VECTOR

Ask VECTOR something

  1. Press Super+E.
  2. Type your question and press Enter.
  3. Press Esc to go back to your work.

To talk instead of typing, hold Super+V while you speak. See VECTOR.

Write a quick note

Press Alt+Shift+N, type one line and press Enter. It’s added to your field notes. See Panels.

Keys

Find a key

Press Super+Shift+K and type what you want to do. Press Enter to run it. See Keys.

Change a key

  1. Open Settings › Shortcuts.
  2. Under Every key, open the key’s section, and choose Change… next to it.
  3. Press the new keys, then let go.

See Your own shortcuts.

Updates

Update bromigOS

  1. Open a terminal with Alt+Shift+Enter.
  2. Run bromigos update.
  3. Type your password when it asks.

Undo an update

Run bromigos update --rollback. It shows what the last update changed, asks, and puts it back. See Updating and rolling back.

Your homelab

Connect your homelab

Run bromigos setup homelab. It looks for your homelab’s services and connects the ones it finds. See Your homelab.