Documentation › Sessions and login
Desktop sessions
Aurora (Wayfire) and Aurora Compatibility (labwc): what each is and when to use it
Aurora's desktop (top bar, dock, desktop, Spotlight, notifications) is the same in both sessions. What changes is the compositor, the program that draws windows on the screen and handles input.
| Aurora | Aurora Compatibility | |
|---|---|---|
| Compositor | Wayfire | labwc |
| Window animations | Open, close, minimize and restore | None (apps keep their own) |
| Snap Layouts and Snap Assist | Yes | No (snapping with the keyboard works) |
| Zoom (magnifier) shortcuts | Super + mouse wheel | Super+Alt+8, =, − |
| Window menu (Alt+Space) | No | Yes |
| Needs | OpenGL ES (a GPU, or software rendering) | Nothing special: draws on the processor if needed |
| Use it | Normally | On old or unusual graphics, or if the Aurora session doesn't start |
Choosing the compositor
- At the login screen, pick the session.
- Or write
wayfireorlabwcin~/.config/aurora/compositor: the Aurora session then uses that compositor. - Try Aurora OS (safe graphics) in the boot menu always uses labwc.
Automatic fallback
If Wayfire exits with an error within 15 seconds of starting, the session starts labwc
instead, and you get a working desktop. The reason is saved in
~/.local/state/aurora/compositor-failure.log and shown in Settings → System Health.
On graphics without 3D that expose a render node (VirtualBox or VMware without 3D, virtio-gpu
without virgl), Aurora uses labwc from the start, because Mesa cannot draw there for Wayfire.
Configuration
Both compositors take their settings from Aurora's Settings app. labwc's configuration is
~/.config/labwc/rc.xml (keyboard shortcuts, input devices, window behavior);
Wayfire's, ~/.config/aurora/wayfire.ini, is generated from the same preferences by
aurora-wayfire-config each time they change. Edit rc.xml (or use
Settings) rather than wayfire.ini.