Playing a video in full screen after startup on Linux

Want Linux to automatically play a video in fullscreen when your computer starts up? This is useful for kiosks, advertising displays, automated presentations, or even personal use.

Steps

1. Open Startup Applications

• Press Super (Windows key) and search for Startup Applications.
• Click to open it.

2. Add a new startup entry

Click the Add button.

3. Fill in the fields

• Name: Open my awesome video
• Command: vlc -L -f <video_path>
• Comment: You can leave me blank

Replace <video_path> with the full path to your video file.

vlc -L -f /home/johndoe/Desktop/my_awesome_movie.mp4

4. Explanation

• vlc: Launches VLC Media Player
• -L: Loops the video continuously
• -f: Starts in fullscreen mode
• <video_path>: Absolute path to your video file

5. Save and Restart

After saving the entry, restart your computer. The video will automatically play in fullscreen once you log in.

Additional Notes

• Ensure VLC is installed:

  sudo apt install vlc

• If you're not using GNOME, your session manager might be called something like "Session and Startup" in Xfce.

Conclusion

With this setup, you can turn your Linux system into an automatic media kiosk or video station easily.