---
name: "spotlight"
section: "6x"
platform: "linux"
package: "xscreensaver-data-extra"
version: "6.09+dfsg1-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/spotlight/6x"
---

# spotlight(6x)

move spotlight around desktop

## NAME

spotlight - move spotlight around desktop

## SYNOPSIS

**spotlight** \[--display *host:display.screen*\] \[--foreground *color*\] \[--background *color*\] \[--window\] \[--root\] \[--window-id *number*\]\[--mono\] \[--install\] \[--visual *visual*\] \[--delay *usecs*\] \[--duration *secs*\] \[--radius *pixels*\] \[--fps\]

## DESCRIPTION

The *spotlight* program takes an image and exposes small sections of it as if through a wandering spotlight beam.

The image that it manipulates will be grabbed from the portion of the screen underlying the window, or from the system's video input, or from a random file on disk, as indicated by the *grabDesktopImages*, *grabVideoFrames*, and *chooseRandomImages* options in the *~/.xscreensaver* file; see [**xscreensaver-settings**(1)](/xscreensaver-settings/1.md) for more details.

## OPTIONS

*spotlight* accepts the following options:

- **--window**

  Draw on a newly-created window.  This is the default.

- **--root**

  Draw on the root window.

- **--window-id *number***

  Draw on the specified window.

- **--mono**

  If on a color display, pretend we're on a monochrome display.

- **--install**

  Install a private colormap for the window.

- **--visual *visual***

  Specify which visual to use.  Legal values are the name of a visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual.

- **--delay *microseconds***

  Slow it down.

- **--duration *seconds***

  How long to run before loading a new image.  Default 120 seconds.

- **--radius *pixels***

  Radius of the spotlight in pixels.

- **--fps**

  Display the current frame rate and CPU load.

## ENVIRONMENT

- **DISPLAY**

  to get the default host and display number.

- **XENVIRONMENT**

  to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE\_MANAGER property.

- **XSCREENSAVER\_WINDOW**

  The window ID to use with *--root*.

## SEE ALSO

**X**(1), [**xscreensaver**(1)](/xscreensaver/1.md), [**xscreensaver-settings**(1)](/xscreensaver-settings/1.md), **xscreensaver-getimage**(6x)

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 1999 by Rick Schultz.  Permission to use, copy, modify,  distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is  hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear  in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation.  No representations are made about the  suitability of this software for any purpose.  It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

## CREDITS

Hacked together by Rick Schultz \<rick@skapunx.net\>, based on StefView for BackSpace by Darcy Brockbank and on several other xscreensaver hacks.