Start Motrix at Login on Linux

On Linux, configure login startup in your desktop environment. Motrix does not create or remove Linux startup entries. This starts the desktop app after you log in to a graphical session.

Use your desktop’s startup settings#

This is the easiest option for DEB, RPM, and Arch packages, as well as Flatpak and Snap installations that appear in your application menu.

Desktop	Where to add Motrix
KDE Plasma	Search System Settings for Autostart, choose Add Application (or Add Program), and select Motrix.
GNOME	Open Tweaks → Startup Applications, add an application, and select Motrix. Install your distribution’s GNOME Tweaks package if needed.
Xfce	Open Session and Startup → Application Autostart and add the Motrix launch command.

For other desktops, look for Startup Applications or Autostart in the desktop settings. Menu names can vary with your desktop version and language.

For AppImage, first keep the file in a permanent location and enable its desktop integration in Motrix → Settings → Integration so you can select it from the application list. If it is not listed, add its full file path as a command instead.

Log out and log back in to check the entry. Add Motrix once: avoid creating a second entry if you have already configured one manually or your desktop restores it from the previous session.

Add an entry manually#

Run these steps in a terminal on the host desktop, using your normal user account. Flatpak and Snap users should also create the entry on the host, outside the application sandbox.

1. Create your user’s autostart directory:

   mkdir -p "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/autostart"

2. In that directory, create a file named motrix-manual.desktop using a text editor. The following example launches the official Motrix Turbo Flatpak:

   [Desktop Entry]
   Type=Application
   Name=Motrix
   Exec=flatpak run app.motrix.native
   Terminal=false

3. Change the Exec value to match your installation:

   Installation	Launch command
   DEB / RPM / Arch package	Use the desktop application’s installed launcher command. It is usually motrix or an absolute path ending in /motrix; copy the command from the application launcher’s properties if unsure.
   AppImage	"/home/YOUR_USER/Applications/Motrix.AppImage" — replace this with the actual, permanent file path.
   Official Turbo Flatpak	flatpak run app.motrix.native
   Official Snap	snap run motrix

   Test the chosen command in a terminal first: it should open the Motrix desktop app. If motrix opens the separate Motrix CLI, use the desktop launcher’s executable path instead. The legacy Flatpak net.agalwood.Motrix uses a different application ID; check your installed package before copying a command.

4. Save the file, then log out and log back in.

Use a full path for AppImage; ~ and $HOME are not expanded in a desktop entry’s Exec field. Keep the AppImage executable and update the entry if you move or rename the file. Do not copy a temporary path under /tmp/.mount_*.

Hyprland and custom sessions#

A desktop entry works only if your session processes XDG autostart files. Hyprland sessions managed by UWSM activate this support automatically. For another session configuration, use its own startup mechanism or configure an XDG autostart runner.

For example, a Hyprland session without an existing Motrix startup entry can launch the official Flatpak with:

exec-once = flatpak run app.motrix.native

Use either a session startup command or an XDG autostart entry for Motrix. Check your actual session setup before following distribution-specific advice, including on Arch and Omarchy. See the Hyprland session documentation.

Choose window behavior#

In Motrix → Settings → General → When opening Motrix, choose Open Main Window or Start in System Tray. This applies to manual launches too. Tray startup requires your desktop to provide a usable system tray; if you cannot find Motrix after login, choose Open Main Window first.

The commands above launch Motrix normally and do not need --opened-at-login=1.

Disable or troubleshoot startup#

• Remove or disable Motrix in the same desktop startup settings where you added it. If you created motrix-manual.desktop, remove that file from your user’s autostart directory. For a Hyprland startup command, remove its exec-once line.
• If Motrix does not start, run the entry’s command in a terminal and fix any missing executable, moved AppImage, or wrong package ID first.
• If the command works manually, check that the entry is in the host user’s autostart directory, is not disabled with Hidden=true, and that your session processes XDG autostart entries.
• For Flatpak and Snap, use flatpak run or snap run; paths to executables inside the sandbox are not host launch commands.

See the XDG autostart specification, KDE Autostart guide, and GNOME startup guide for desktop-specific details.