Ctrl+Alt+L fails to lock the screen in the default setup of Gnome 3 (gnome shell)

[Cd-MaN]

Ctrl+Alt+L fails to lock the screen in the default setup of Ubuntu 14.10 + Gnome 3 (gnome shell).

All packages are up to date and I verified that Ctrl+Alt+L is indeed the shortcut to lock the screen.

What helped was adding gnome-screensaver to the startup programs (was installed but wasn't started by default) as mentioned here: http://askubuntu.com/a/542391

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[ԜаӀtеr Ⅼарсһуnѕkі (wxl)]

You filed this against *l*ubuntu-default-settings. Was that a mistake or am I missing something?

[Cd-MaN (panther79)]

@Walter: wanted to fill it against gnome-shell, don't know what happened. Updated and sorry for the confusion.

Cheers,
Attila

[Lee Willis (junk-talpa)]

I'm experiencing this as well. Starting gnome-screensaver from a terminal works, but I can't work out how to add gnome-screensaver to run by default - it looks like Startup Applications doesn't exist in 14.10?

[Cd-MaN (panther79)]

@Lee: under 14.10 there is a "Startup Applications" application :-). This is what I used that to start gnome-screen-saver on login.

[Greg Wilkins (gregw-wiltel)]

I have this problem now with 14.10

previously I had 14.04 installed and the screensaver was very problematic - it would frequently not turn off the screen by itself, but Ctrl-Shift-L always worked.

Now with 14.10 screensave never turns on and Ctrl-Shift-L never works.

Typing gnome-screensaver-command -l into a terminal does lock the screen as expected.

gnome-screensaver-command -q reports the screen saver is inactive

Under settings I have

 Dim screen when inactive ON
 Blank screen 5 minutes
 Turns off wireless devices ON (although I'm sure I've turned that off several times before)

Hmmm the Turns off wireless devices appears to turn them off immediately - not when the screen blanks? So if I switch that OFF, then it just immediately disconnects my wireless - is that intended? Probably not related.

[Cd-MaN (panther79)]

This (not locking when pressing Ctrl+Alt+L) still happens with a clean install of Ubuntu 15.04 and the same workaround (adding gnome-screensaver to the autostart programs) resolves the issue.

[Eric Munson (emunson)]

Still happening in 16.04 thought starting gnome-screensaver does not make Crtl-Alt-L (or Crtl-Shift-L) work. Locking from the cli does work.

[Mirondius (miro7322)]

Same problem here, gnome-screensaver seems to be broken. Will try another one :-/

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Tim Lunn (darkxst)]

gnome-shell does not use gnome-screensaver, it has its own builtin lockscreen (provided you are also using gdm)

Also Screen Lock is activated via <super>+L these days

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Currently, we have to pick either Ctrl+Alt+L or Super+L (Windows Key + L). We chose Super+L to be the default.

You can change the shortcut to Ctrl+Alt+L if you want in Settings>Keyboard>Lock screen

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Oh, Ubuntu overrides the default shortcut to Ctrl+Alt+L (and Ubuntu GNOME overrode that back to Super+L)

https://bazaar.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-desktop/+junk/ubuntu-settings/view/head:/debian/ubuntu-settings.gsettings-override#L105

org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys screensaver

See also LP: #830709

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu.
Ubuntu 17.10 (artful) reached end-of-life on July 19, 2018.

See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

We appreciate that this bug may be old and you might not be interested in discussing it any more. But if you are then please upgrade to the latest Ubuntu version and re-test. If you then find the bug is still present in the newer Ubuntu version, please add a comment here telling us which new version it is in and change the bug status to Confirmed.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

The key combo was changed to Super+L and it seems to work at least in 18.04 onward.