---
name: "mate-session"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "mate-session-manager"
version: "1.28.0-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/mate-session"
---

# mate-session(1)

Start the MATE Desktop Environment.

## NAME

mate-session - Start the MATE Desktop Environment.

## SYNOPSIS

**mate-session \[OPTIONS\]**

## DESCRIPTION

The **mate-session** program starts up the MATE desktop environment. This command is typically executed by your Login/Display Manager (like GDM, LXDM, XDM, SLiM, or from your X startup scripts like .xinitrc). It will load either your saved session, or it will provide a default session for the user as defined by the system administrator (or the default MATE installation on your system).

The default session is defined in the dconf keys under **/***org***/***mate***/***desktop***/***session***/**\
 When saving a session, **mate-session** saves the currently running applications in the **~/.config/mate-session/saved-session** directory of the users /home.

**mate-session** is an X11 session manager. It can manage MATE applications as well as any other X11 SM compliant ones.

## OPTIONS

### The following options are supported:

- **-a, --autostart=DIR**

  Start all applications defined in "**DIR**", instead of starting the applications defined in **/***org***/***mate***/***desktop***/***session***/***default-session*\
   Multiple **--autostart** options can be passed.

- **-f, --failsafe**

  Run in fail-safe mode. User-specified applications will not be started.

- **--debug**

  Enable debugging code.

- **--display=DISPLAY**

  X display to use.

- **--version**

  Output version information and exit.

- **-?, -h, --help**

  Print standard command line options.

- **--help-all**

  Print all command line options.

## ENVIRONMENT

### mate-session sets several environment variables for the use of its child processes:

**SESSION\_MANAGER**

-

  This variable is used by session-manager aware clients to contact mate-session.

**DISPLAY**

-

  This variable is set to the X display being used by **mate-session**. Note that if the --display option is used this might be different from the setting of the environment variable when mate-session is invoked.

## FILES

```
~/.config/autostart
/usr/share/autostart
/usr/share/mate/autostart
```

-

  The applications defined in the above directories will be started on login. **[mate-session-properties(1)](/mate-session-properties/1.md)** can be used to easily configure them.

**~/.config/mate-session/saved-session**

-

  This directory contains the list of applications of the saved session.

## BUGS

### Should you encounter any bugs, they may be reported at:

http://github.com/mate-desktop/mate-session-manager/issues

## AUTHORS

### This Manual page was originally written for gnome-session by:

```
Miguel de Icaza <miguel@helixcode.com> (2000)
Vincent Untz <vuntz@gnome.org> (2009-2010)
```

### It has been updated for the MATE Desktop Environment by:

Adam Erdman \<hekel@archlinux.info\> (2014)

## SEE ALSO

### Further information may also be available at: http://wiki.mate-desktop.org/docs

**[mate-session-properties(1)](/mate-session-properties/1.md),** **[mate-session-save(1)](/mate-session-save/1.md),** **[mate-wm(1)](/mate-wm/1.md)**