Try using this command to edit the file with root privileges
sudo nano /etc/fstab
Open the file with sudo example: sudo nano /etc/fstab
That worked but I wanted to use kate opening it with dolphin.
This file is essential for your system. So therefore it is only allowed to modify it as root or via sudo, because you could make your system easily unbootable this way.
If you need to edit a system file as root from KDE Plasma you can do it like this.
- Find the file via Dolphin.
- Open the file with Kate.
- Make the edits you want.
- Then save the file. Kate will then ask you for your sudo password. Type that in and it saves your file.
Also see this:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Running_GUI_applications_as_root
2 Likes
This is where I get the error message when I try to save after putting in the password.
This is where I get the error message after putting in the password.
Not true. Kate is fully polkit ready and should be able to simply save a file and ask for credentials.
It sounds like you are being prompted … but your password doesnt work or something.
So … are you using the right password?
(do you have different ones for root and user?)
Does your user have the correct privileges?
I’m sorry I was wrong. It doesn’t even let me enter the password before it displays the error.
…
So you open the file in kate, edit, save, and then just an error?
As above and below, this sounds like your user does not have the proper rights.
Also, what does your inxi look like?
inxi -Fazy
In that case you are not a user with sudo access?
System:
Kernel: 5.16.2-1-MANJARO x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.1.0
parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.16-x86_64
root=UUID=45ca132d-4a37-4dc3-afa0-be2e80d6a4a2 rw quiet apparmor=1
security=apparmor udev.log_priority=3
Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.24.80 tk: Qt 5.15.2 info: latte-dock wm: kwin_x11
vt: 1 dm: SDDM Distro: Manjaro Linux base: Arch Linux
Machine:
Type: Convertible System: HP product: HP Spectre x360 Convertible 15-df1xxx
v: N/A serial: <superuser required> Chassis: type: 31
serial: <superuser required>
Mobo: HP model: 863F v: 54.24 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: AMI
v: F.26 date: 07/09/2021
Battery:
ID-1: BAT0 charge: 53.1 Wh (79.0%) condition: 67.2/67.2 Wh (100.0%)
volts: 12.3 min: 11.6 model: HP Primary type: Li-ion serial: <filter>
status: N/A cycles: 169
Device-1: hid-0018:04F3:2992.0001-battery model: ELAN2514:00 04F3:2992
serial: N/A charge: N/A status: N/A
CPU:
Info: model: Intel Core i7-10510U bits: 64 type: MT MCP
arch: Comet/Whiskey Lake note: check family: 6 model-id: 0x8E (142)
stepping: 0xC (12) microcode: 0xEA
Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 4 tpc: 2 threads: 8 smt: enabled cache:
L1: 256 KiB desc: d-4x32 KiB; i-4x32 KiB L2: 1024 KiB desc: 4x256 KiB
L3: 8 MiB desc: 1x8 MiB
Speed (MHz): avg: 800 min/max: 400/4900 scaling: driver: intel_pstate
governor: powersave cores: 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 5: 800 6: 800 7: 800
8: 800 bogomips: 36812
Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
Vulnerabilities:
Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
Type: l1tf status: Not affected
Type: mds status: Not affected
Type: meltdown status: Not affected
Type: spec_store_bypass
mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl
Type: spectre_v1
mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Enhanced IBRS, IBPB: conditional, RSB filling
Type: srbds mitigation: TSX disabled
Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
Device-1: Intel CometLake-U GT2 [UHD Graphics] vendor: Hewlett-Packard
driver: i915 v: kernel bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:9b41 class-ID: 0300
Device-2: NVIDIA GP108M [GeForce MX250] vendor: Hewlett-Packard
driver: nvidia v: 495.46 alternate: nouveau,nvidia_drm bus-ID: 3b:00.0
chip-ID: 10de:1d13 class-ID: 0302
Device-3: Chicony HP Wide Vision FHD Camera type: USB driver: uvcvideo
bus-ID: 1-5:2 chip-ID: 04f2:b67b class-ID: 0e02 serial: <filter>
Display: x11 server: X.org 1.21.1.3 compositor: kwin_x11 driver:
loaded: modesetting,nvidia unloaded: nouveau alternate: fbdev,nv,vesa
resolution: <missing: xdpyinfo>
Message: Unable to show advanced data. Required tool glxinfo missing.
Audio:
Device-1: Intel Comet Lake PCH-LP cAVS vendor: Hewlett-Packard
driver: sof-audio-pci-intel-cnl
alternate: snd_hda_intel,snd_soc_skl,snd_sof_pci_intel_cnl bus-ID: 00:1f.3
chip-ID: 8086:02c8 class-ID: 0401
Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.16.2-1-MANJARO running: yes
Sound Server-2: JACK v: 1.9.20 running: no
Sound Server-3: PulseAudio v: 15.0 running: yes
Sound Server-4: PipeWire v: 0.3.43 running: yes
Network:
Device-1: Intel Comet Lake PCH-LP CNVi WiFi driver: iwlwifi v: kernel
bus-ID: 00:14.3 chip-ID: 8086:02f0 class-ID: 0280
IF: wlp0s20f3 state: up mac: <filter>
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 931.51 GiB used: 128.45 GiB (13.8%)
SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 maj-min: 259:0 vendor: Samsung
model: SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B
logical: 512 B speed: 31.6 Gb/s lanes: 4 type: SSD serial: <filter>
rev: 2B2QEXM7 temp: 39.9 C scheme: GPT
Partition:
ID-1: / raw-size: 239 GiB size: 235 GiB (98.33%) used: 59.43 GiB (25.3%)
fs: ext4 dev: /dev/nvme0n1p11 maj-min: 259:11
ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 100 MiB size: 96 MiB (96.00%)
used: 66.7 MiB (69.5%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/nvme0n1p2 maj-min: 259:2
Swap:
Alert: No swap data was found.
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 48.0 C pch: 46.0 C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:
Processes: 259 Uptime: 50m wakeups: 778 Memory: 15.26 GiB
used: 2.58 GiB (16.9%) Init: systemd v: 250 tool: systemctl Compilers:
gcc: 11.1.0 clang: 13.0.0 Packages: pacman: 1342 lib: 353 flatpak: 0
Shell: Bash v: 5.1.16 running-in: konsole inxi: 3.3.12
How do I check for the sudo access because I thought I had it.
su #enter root password
usermod -aG wheel <user_name>
exit
did all that .
Still same issue.
You may need to relog/reboot for the new usergroup to be in effect.
Sorry I didn’t say that . I did reboot.
So: you do have sudo access and have had it.
I consider the above a valid test. 
The command:
groups
will tell you whether you are a member of group “wheel”
if you are - you have sudo access
[demo@manjaro ~]$ groups demo
wheel lp sys network power demo
is that the default in KDE?
I’m in a few more (Xfce in a VM):
groups
sys network power video storage lp input audio wheel nachlese
but at least you are in wheel … which we knew already