Mastering Dual Keyboard Shortcuts in GNOME: Elevate Your Workflow

At revWhiteShadow, we understand the pursuit of an optimized computing experience. For many users, the standard keyboard shortcuts provided by the GNOME desktop environment are a solid foundation, but the true power lies in customization and personalization. What if you could have multiple keyboard shortcuts triggering the exact same action? This is not a pipe dream; it’s a readily achievable enhancement that can significantly streamline your workflow. Our goal at revWhiteShadow is to empower you with the knowledge to unlock this advanced functionality, specifically focusing on the common and highly useful task of dual volume control shortcuts.

We’ve encountered numerous inquiries regarding the ability to assign more than one key combination to a single command. A prime example, and one we frequently address, is the desire to have simultaneous volume adjustment shortcuts. Users often wish to retain their familiar, built-in laptop function keys for volume control while simultaneously introducing an alternative set of shortcuts for the same purpose. For instance, maintaining the default XF86AudioRaiseVolume for the dedicated “Sound/VolumeUp” key on a laptop, and then adding a secondary set like Super+Up (or the more playfully named “Tux+Up”) to achieve the same result. This article from revWhiteShadow will guide you through the precise methods to achieve this dual keyboard shortcut configuration within the GNOME desktop environment, ensuring a more intuitive and efficient interaction with your system.

Understanding GNOME Keyboard Shortcut Management

Before we delve into the practical implementation of dual keyboard shortcuts in GNOME, it’s crucial to grasp how GNOME handles its shortcut configurations. GNOME, by default, provides a robust set of pre-defined keyboard shortcuts for various system functions, application launching, window management, and more. These shortcuts are managed through a centralized system that allows users to view, modify, and even create new custom shortcuts.

The underlying mechanism for managing these shortcuts is primarily driven by the dconf configuration system and the GNOME Settings daemon. While direct manipulation of dconf keys is possible and offers granular control, the most user-friendly and recommended approach for most users is through the graphical GNOME Settings application. This application provides a dedicated section for keyboard shortcuts, offering an intuitive interface to manage your keybindings.

It’s important to note that GNOME, like many modern desktop environments, generally prefers unique keybindings for each action. This means that attempting to assign the same key combination to two different commands will typically result in an error or the later assignment overwriting the earlier one. The challenge and the focus of this article are on how to assign multiple distinct key combinations to the same underlying action. This often requires a slightly more advanced approach than simply using the default GUI.

Leveraging the GNOME Settings GUI for Basic Customization

The GNOME Settings application is your primary entry point for managing keyboard shortcuts. While it excels at assigning single key combinations to specific actions, it also lays the groundwork for more advanced configurations. Let’s first familiarize ourselves with its capabilities.

  1. Accessing Keyboard Settings:

    • Open the Activities Overview by pressing the Super key (often the Windows key or the “Tux” key).
    • Type “Settings” and click on the Settings application icon.
    • In the Settings window, navigate to the “Keyboard” section in the left-hand sidebar.
    • Within the Keyboard settings, you will find a “Keyboard Shortcuts” or “View and Customize Shortcuts” option. Click on this to access the full list of configurable shortcuts.

  2. Viewing Default Shortcuts:

    • The “Keyboard Shortcuts” interface presents a categorized list of all available shortcuts. You can scroll through sections like “System,” “Windows,” “Launchers,” and “Sound” to see the default assignments.
    • For instance, you’ll find entries like “Volume Up,” “Volume Down,” and “Mute Volume” typically under the “Sound” category.

  3. Modifying Existing Shortcuts:

    • To change an existing shortcut, simply click on the current key combination displayed next to the action.
    • A prompt will appear, asking you to press the new desired key combination.
    • Press the keys you wish to assign, and GNOME will record it.
    • If the chosen combination is already in use by another action, GNOME will often warn you and prompt you to either reassign it (overwriting the previous one) or cancel the change.

While the GUI is excellent for setting one shortcut per action, it does not directly offer a method to add a secondary shortcut for the same function without overwriting the existing one. This is where we need to explore more powerful tools.

The Power of gsettings and dconf-editor for Dual Shortcuts

To achieve dual keyboard shortcuts in GNOME, we need to interact with the underlying configuration system more directly. The primary tool for this is the gsettings command-line utility, which allows you to read and modify settings stored in the dconf database. For a more visual approach to managing dconf settings, dconf-editor is an invaluable graphical tool.

The key concept here is that GNOME often stores its custom shortcuts in specific dconf keys. By understanding these keys, we can manually add new shortcuts without altering the default ones, thereby creating our desired dual shortcut configuration.

Identifying the Relevant dconf Keys

The exact dconf path for custom keyboard shortcuts is typically found under:

/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/

Within this directory, you’ll find a list of custom bindings. If you’ve created any custom shortcuts using the GNOME Settings GUI, they will appear here as numbered entries (e.g., custom0, custom1, etc.). Each custom binding is essentially a dictionary of settings, including the name, command, and binding (the key combination).

To implement dual shortcuts, we won’t be directly modifying the default system keys for volume control. Instead, we will be creating new custom shortcuts that execute the same commands as the default volume controls, but with our alternative key combinations.

The commands we need to replicate are usually:

  • Volume Up: amixer -q set Master playback 5%+ or a similar command depending on your audio setup (e.g., pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +5%).
  • Volume Down: amixer -q set Master playback 5%- or pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ -5%.

We will use pactl as it’s more common with PulseAudio and PipeWire, which GNOME typically uses.

Using gsettings to Add Custom Shortcuts

The gsettings command allows us to interact with these keys programmatically. Here’s the general process for adding a new custom shortcut:

  1. Find an available custom binding slot: You need to identify the next available index in the custom-keybindings list. For example, if custom0, custom1, and custom2 already exist, the next one would be custom3. You can check this by running:

    gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys custom-keybindings

    This will output a list like ['/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/', '/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom1/']. If the list is empty, you can start with custom0.

  2. Create the new custom binding entry: You’ll need to add the path to your new custom binding to the custom-keybindings list. Let’s assume we’re using custom3 as our next available slot.

    gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys custom-keybindings "$(gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys custom-keybindings | sed "s/]$/, '\/org\/gnome\/settings-daemon\/plugins\/media-keys\/custom-keybindings\/custom3\/']/g")"

    Explanation: This command fetches the current list of custom keybindings, appends our new custom binding path (/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom3/) to it, and then sets the updated list. The sed command handles the proper insertion into the list string.

  3. Set the name, command, and binding for your new custom shortcut:

    • Name: A descriptive name for your shortcut (e.g., “Volume Up Alternative”).
      gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom3/ name 'Volume Up Alternative'
    • Command: The command to execute for volume up.
      gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom3/ command 'pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +5%'
    • Binding: The desired dual keyboard shortcut (e.g., Super+Up). The format is typically <Control>, <Alt>, <Shift>, <Super> followed by the key name. For example, XF86AudioRaiseVolume is the key for the volume up function key. For Super+Up, it would be <Super>Up.
      gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom3/ binding '<Super>Up'

You would then repeat this process for Volume Down, creating a custom4 slot (or the next available) with the command pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ -5% and your desired binding (e.g., <Super>Down).

This method effectively creates new, independent custom shortcuts that mirror the functionality of the default volume controls, allowing you to use both sets of shortcuts simultaneously.

Using dconf-editor for a Visual Approach

For users who prefer a graphical interface, dconf-editor provides an excellent way to manage these settings.

  1. Install dconf-editor: If you don’t have it installed, open a terminal and run:

    sudo apt install dconf-editor  # For Debian/Ubuntu-based systems
sudo dnf install dconf-editor  # For Fedora-based systems
sudo pacman -S dconf-editor  # For Arch Linux-based systems

  2. Launch dconf-editor: Open the Activities Overview, search for “Dconf Editor,” and launch it.

  3. Navigate to the custom keybindings: In dconf-editor, navigate through the following path: org -> gnome -> settings-daemon -> plugins -> media-keys

  4. Manage custom-keybindings:

    • Locate the custom-keybindings key. It will be a list of paths.
    • To add a new custom binding, click on custom-keybindings, then click the “+ Add” button.
    • Enter the path for your new custom binding. For example, if the existing list contains custom0, custom1, enter /org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom2/.
    • Click Add.

  5. Configure the new custom binding:

    • Navigate to the newly created path (e.g., /org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom2/).
    • You’ll see keys for name, command, and binding.
    • Click on name, then click the “Set Value” button. Enter a descriptive name like “Volume Up Alternate.”
    • Click on command, then click the “Set Value” button. Enter the command for volume up, such as pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +5%.
    • Click on binding, then click the “Set Value” button. Enter your desired key combination in the correct format, like <Super>Up.

  6. Repeat for Volume Down: Follow the same steps to create a second custom binding for volume down, using a different index (e.g., custom3) and the appropriate command and key combination (e.g., pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ -5% and <Super>Down).

Both gsettings and dconf-editor achieve the same outcome. The choice between them is largely a matter of personal preference. gsettings is powerful for scripting and automation, while dconf-editor offers a more visual and interactive experience.

Refining Volume Control Commands

While pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +5% is a common command for increasing volume by 5%, you might want to fine-tune this.

  • Precise Increments: You can adjust the +5% to any percentage you prefer. For instance, +2% for finer control or +10% for quicker adjustments.
  • Muting/Unmuting: To toggle mute, the command is pactl set-sink-mute @DEFAULT_SINK@ toggle. You could create a custom shortcut for this as well, perhaps alongside your volume buttons.
  • Specific Sinks: If you have multiple audio output devices, you might need to specify the sink name instead of using @DEFAULT_SINK@. You can list your sinks with pactl list sinks and then use the appropriate sink name in the command.

For example, to create a shortcut to increase volume by 10% using Super+Ctrl+Up:

# Add to custom-keybindings list (assuming custom4 is next)
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys custom-keybindings "$(gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys custom-keybindings | sed "s/]$/, '\/org\/gnome\/settings-daemon\/plugins\/media-keys\/custom-keybindings\/custom4\/']/g")"

# Set name
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom4/ name 'Volume Up 10% Shortcut'

# Set command
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom4/ command 'pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +10%'

# Set binding
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom4/ binding '<Super>Control+Up'

Troubleshooting and Best Practices

When implementing dual keyboard shortcuts in GNOME, you might encounter a few common issues. Here are some tips to ensure a smooth experience:

  • Key Combination Conflicts: Always double-check that your custom key combinations do not conflict with existing GNOME shortcuts or shortcuts used by frequently running applications. If a conflict occurs, the behavior can be unpredictable. The GNOME Settings application will warn you if you try to assign a duplicate shortcut directly, but when using gsettings, you need to be more vigilant.
  • Correct Key Naming: Ensure you are using the correct names for special keys. For example, the Super key is often represented as <Super>, the Menu key as <Menu>, and function keys like F1 as <F1>. Multimedia keys like Volume Up/Down have specific names like XF86AudioRaiseVolume if you were to assign them directly, but when creating custom commands, you use the key names that your system recognizes for input. For combinations like Super+Up, the format <Super>Up is standard.
  • Command Syntax: Verify that your pactl or amixer commands are syntactically correct and that they target the correct audio sink if you’re not using the default.
  • Permissions: Ensure that the user account you are using has the necessary permissions to execute audio control commands. This is generally not an issue for standard user accounts.
  • Restarting GNOME Shell: In some cases, changes to dconf settings might not take effect immediately. You can try logging out and back into your GNOME session, or restarting the GNOME Shell by pressing Alt+F2, typing r, and pressing Enter. This forces a refresh of the GNOME Shell and its configurations.
  • Backups: Before making significant changes to your dconf settings, it’s always a good practice to back up your current configuration. You can do this by exporting specific dconf branches. For example:
    dconf dump /org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/ > gnome_media_keys_backup.dconf
    To restore:
    dconf load /org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/ < gnome_media_keys_backup.dconf
  • Organization: As you add more custom shortcuts, it’s easy to lose track. Maintain a clear naming convention and perhaps keep a separate text file listing your custom shortcuts and their assigned commands.

Conclusion: Elevating Your GNOME Experience with Dual Shortcuts

The ability to implement dual keyboard shortcuts in GNOME is a powerful tool for any user seeking to personalize and optimize their desktop interaction. By mastering the use of gsettings or dconf-editor, you can go beyond the default configurations and create a workflow that perfectly suits your needs. Whether it’s having your dedicated laptop volume keys and a Super+Arrow combination both control your audio, or implementing similar dual shortcuts for application launching, brightness control, or any other function, the possibilities are extensive.

At revWhiteShadow, we are committed to providing in-depth guides that empower you to take full control of your computing environment. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can successfully implement dual volume control shortcuts and explore the vast potential of customizable keyboard bindings within the GNOME desktop. Embrace this flexibility, refine your shortcuts, and experience a more efficient and enjoyable computing journey.