I am running Kodi via XServer from a 2-monitor remote computer. When Kodi starts, it occupies entire 2 monitor areas and is absolutely useless.

It has a config to run in windowed mode, but how to activate it from command line?

I have edited

~/.kodi/userdata/guisettings.xml

and changed

<screenmode default="true">DESKTOP</screenmode>

to

<screenmode default="true">WINDOW</screenmode>

but it changes back to DESKTOP each run.

How to overcome?

4 Answers

Encountered the same issue. Within the section <videoscreen> of file ~/.kodi/userdata/guisettings.xml you have to change this:

<screenmode default="true">DESKTOP</screenmode>

To this:

<screenmode>WINDOW</screenmode>

Start Kodi now and it will be windowed.

In addition to(instead of) <setting default="false">WINDOW</setting>
There are a setting to choose monitor where Kodi can run fullscreen: (it also available in kodi settings GUI)

<setting>HDMI-0</setting>

To find monitor name - run xrandr without arguments, it will list all connected and not connected monitors

Looks like it moved again a bit. The change is now under

<videoscreen>

in:

~/.kodi/userdata/guisettings.xml

Change

<screenmode default="true">DESKTOP</screenmode>

to:

<screenmode default="false">WINDOW</screenmode>

0

In Leia it changed a bit. This will fix it as of today.

Edit ~/.kodi/userdata/guisettings.xml

Change

<setting default="true">DESKTOP</setting>

to

<setting default="false">WINDOW</setting>

and you're all set.