LXDE Raspbian autostart startup

Method 1

This method uses a global list of autostart applications that applies to all user accounts. They will load whenever LXDE is loaded regardless of what user is logged in at the time. Usually this user is the default ‘Pi’ account.

Use the following command to launch the nano text editor and edit the autostart file :

sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Note : The newer Raspbian image changed the folder “LXDE” to “LXDE-pi” so the line above has been updated.

After the last line add a line for each application you wish to autorun. For example if I add lines for LXTerminal and Leafpad my file looks like this :

@lxpanel --profile LXDE
@pcmanfm --desktop --profile LXDE
@lxterminal
@leafpad
@xscreensaver -no-splash@

To save and exit the nano editor press CTRL-X, Y and then ENTER. You can use your preferred text editor if nano isn’t your first choice.
Method 2

The alternative method is to create a configuration file that is unique to the currently logged in user. First you need to edit this text file :

sudo nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE/autostart

As in Method 1 this file represents a list of commands to be executed when the GUI loads. It is usually blank when you first edit it so just add the applications you need to auto-load:

@lxterminal
@leafpad

To save and exit the nano editor press CTRL-X, Y and then ENTER.