KDE Plasma: auto logout user + system-level auto-suspend

I feel like this should be simple, but it’s eluding me. We have several shared PCs in the house, used by all members of my family. They are all running Manjaro with KDE Plasma as the desktop. What we would like is, after a period of inactivity, to automatically log the user out and return to the login screen.

The problem we are having now is that User A stops using the computer and walks away. Later, User B wants to use the computer but needs to first logout User A, then re-login as User B.

Furthermore, I see where the options in KDE Plasma exist to automatically put the system into sleep/suspend mode after a period of inactivity. But this is tied to the user. How can I configure this at the system level, so that it always sleeps after a timeout, regardless of who is logged in (or if the system is at the login screen).

Thanks!

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Logging out should not be necessary. The Plasma lock screen offers the possibility to switch users.

How do you switch users from the lock screen? I’m not seeing any option for that. It basically looks just like the login screen, but the only user it shows is the one currently logged in.

Arrows? Icons? Little dots to click? Use the keyboard arrows?
It depends on your theme and configuration.

It’s the default theme, and have done very little configuration (basically just pinned frequently used apps to the task manager).

I see no arrows, icons (except the logged in user)… keyboard arrows don’t do anything.

There’s a bug with systemd and plasma, where the Switch Users function (among others) are missing.

I’m on Stable branch, and I still have this issue on systemd 246.6-1 and Plasma 5.19.5.
On Manjaro ARM we have systemd 246.6-1.1 and Plasma 5.19.5 and there the Switch User option is available.

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Hm.
Just checking … the ‘Switch User’ action works properly.
The lockscreen (“Lock the Screen”) action does seem to not present any ability to change user…

Might be useful, or maybe not

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So back to the original question: is there a way to do automatic logout after a specified timeout?

I just downloaded the latest Manjaro KDE ISO (manjaro-kde-20.1.2-201019-linux58.iso, sha1sum 17e909dbf3001b8bee1834e8a90de3799343cc7b), and did a fresh install in a virtual machine.

The install is completely default. I didn’t even do any updates. I just added an additional user “bubba”, in addition to the user that was created during install, “matt”.

I took screenshots of these, but the forum isn’t allowing me to post them. But I can confirm that the situation is as I described above:

  • The login screen shows both users, as expected
  • The lock screen for “matt” does not allow any means of switching users

So… is there any way to configure an automatic logout after a specified period of inactivity, or a way to allow user switching from the lock screen?

Thanks!

Bump, anyone? Surely this isn’t an esoteric use-case, either auto-logout or the need for a working “switch user” from the lock screen?

There is no way to automatically log out a user after a given time insofar I can see ─ or at least, not for users logged in at the local console. ssh logins are a different matter.

As for the absence of a working user switcher on the lock screen, if this isn’t present in the upcoming Plasma 5.20.x, then perhaps you can file a feature request at kde.org. :thinking: