For Fedora users seeking to optimize their Chrome or Chromium browser, particularly regarding hardware acceleration on Wayland, setting persistent flags is crucial. This article delves into how to achieve this, addressing the common challenge of ensuring flags remain active across sessions.
Many users, especially those on Wayland, need to enable specific flags in Chrome or Chromium to improve performance or enable certain features. While runtime flags are easy to set, making them persistent across sessions on Fedora can be tricky. Unlike Arch Linux, where configuration files in ~/.config/chromium-config.conf
or ~/.config/chrome-config.conf
work seamlessly, Fedora requires a different approach.
The most reliable method for setting persistent flags involves modifying the desktop entry file for Chrome or Chromium. Here's how:
Locate the Desktop Entry: The desktop entry file is typically found in /usr/share/applications/
. Look for files named google-chrome.desktop
or chromium.desktop
.
Copy to Local Directory: Copy the relevant .desktop
file to your local applications directory to avoid modifying system files directly:
cp /usr/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/
or
cp /usr/share/applications/chromium.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/
Edit the Desktop Entry: Open the copied .desktop
file in a text editor.
Modify the Exec Line: Find the Exec=
line, which specifies the command used to launch the browser. Append your desired flags to this line. For example:
Exec=/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable --enable-features=UseOzonePlatform --ozone-platform=wayland
or
Exec=/usr/bin/chromium --enable-features=UseOzonePlatform --ozone-platform=wayland
Replace --enable-features=UseOzonePlatform --ozone-platform=wayland
with the specific flags you need. Refer to the Chromium Command Line Switches documentation for a comprehensive list of available flags.
Save the File: Save the modified .desktop
file.
After saving the file, you may need to log out and log back in, or restart your desktop environment for the changes to take effect. This ensures that the system recognizes the modified desktop entry.
To verify that the flags are active, launch Chrome or Chromium and navigate to chrome://version
or chromium://version
in the address bar. Look for the "Command Line" section to see the flags that are currently active.
By modifying the desktop entry file, Fedora users can effectively set persistent flags for Chrome or Chromium, ensuring that desired configurations, such as those for hardware acceleration on Wayland, remain active across sessions. This approach provides a reliable solution for users seeking to optimize their browsing experience.