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TIP The X resources mentioned on this page are included in both the template .Xresouces file and the sample .Xresources file.

NOTE You can also use XTerm's command-line options as an alternative to the .Xresources file when needed.

XTerm window properties

You can configure the following aspects of XTerm windows:

  • Window border theme
  • Inner border width
  • Default window size

Window border theme

The border theme of XTerm windows depends on the window manager or more broadly the desktop environment used. So to customize the border of XTerm windows, you need to research the available themes for your window manager and how to install a theme of your choice. For example: Openbox Theme Collections or xfce-look.org.

Configuring the window internal border width

For XTerm, you can configure the thickness of the window internal border, which is the width of window between the window border (set by the window manager) and the outermost (leftmost and rightmost) columns and (top and bottom) lines of text within the XTerm window. You can set the XTerm window internal border thickness in pixels as an X resource:

xterm*internalBorder: 20
  • The implicit default for the xterm*internalBorder Xresource is 2 pixels.

You can also color the window internal border:

xterm*colorInnerBorder: true
xterm*borderColor: green
  • The implicit default for the xterm*colorInnerBorder Xresource is false, which means the color of the window internal border is the window background color.
  • The xterm*borderColor: Xresource requires the colorInnerBorder Xresource to be explicitly set to true.

NOTE On some window managers, the window internal border might appear thicker in pixels when set to the default (2 pixels) or minimal (1 pixel) width values. XTerm sets window-manager hints such as to tell the window manager to do resizing in units that correspond to the font size or that the minimal window size is equal to the inner border (2 when the border is set to 1), but the hints and negotiation might not be correctly implemented in some window managers.

Configuring the default window size

You can set the default window size as an X resource that is used when you open a new XTerm window:

  • Maximized windows
  • Fullscreen windows
  • Custom-size windows
  • Custom-size windows with an offset window position

Configuring the maximized window size

You can configure XTerm to open maximized windows by default by setting the maximized: Xresource to true. The implicit default is false.

Configuring the fullscreen window size

You can use the fullscreen: Xresource with one of the following values to configure whether the window manager opens fullscreen XTerm windows by default:

  • false or 0 (implicit default)
  • true or 1
  • always or 2
  • never or 3

Configuring a custom default window size

The Xresource that configures a custom default size for XTerm windows uses numbers of text columns and text lines as values:

xterm*geometry: <number_of_text_columns_you_want_in_xterm_windows>x<number_of_text_lines_you_want_in_xterm_windows>

The screen resolution, display size, and UI elements of the window manager or desktop environment such as menu or system bars affect the desired size of XTerm windows, which is something worth remembering when using two or more monitors. So the best way to set the desired values for the xterm*geometry X resource is by testing it manually. Here are some examples for 15-inch laptops, depending on the display size and UI elements in the used window manager:

xterm*geometry: 106x54

xterm*geometry: 96x59

xterm*geometry: 94x48

To conveniently determine your desired terminal window size for XTerm startup, you can drag and resize an XTerm window to the desired size and then run the resize script, which is included with XTerm. The resize script prints your adjusted XTerm window size to standard output so that you can then copy and paste these values into the xterm*geometry line in the .Xresources file. Here is an example of this script's output:

$ resize
COLUMNS=110;
LINES=48;

Adding window position offsets

Where an application window such as an XTerm window appears on the screen might depend on the window manager or desktop environment, its features, settings, and UI elements such as menu or system bars. You can have XTerm windows open at an offset position as follows, measured in pixels from the top left corner of the display area set for application windows:

xterm*geometry: <number_of_text_columns_you_want_in_xterm_windows>x<number_of_text_lines_you_want_in_xterm_windows>+<number_of_pixels_to_move_window_right>+<number_of_pixels_to_move_window_down>

To have an idea of the pixel ranges involved in effectively offseting new XTerm windows, you can print the screen resolution to standard output by running the xrandr command:

$ xrandr | grep \*

If you are using two or more monitors, different monitor resolution will cause different window position offsets.