Preferences
Open Preferences from the hamburger menu or with Ctrl+,.
Settings are saved immediately when you change them — there is no Save button.
General
Language
Selects the interface language. RemoteX supports 12 languages:
| Code | Language |
|---|---|
| System | Follow your desktop locale (default) |
| en | English |
| fr | French |
| de | German |
| es | Spanish |
| it | Italian |
| pt | Portuguese |
| ru | Russian |
| ko | Korean |
| ja | Japanese |
| zh | Chinese (Simplified) |
| ar | Arabic |
| hi | Hindi |
!!! note A language change takes effect after restarting RemoteX. A toast notification reminds you.
Command timeout
The maximum time (in seconds) to wait for a command to finish before cancelling it. Default: 30 seconds.
Increase this for commands that are expected to take a long time (large file copies, system updates). Decrease it to fail fast on unreachable machines.
Buttons per row
The number of columns in the button grid. Range: 1–20. Applied live without restarting.
A value of 4 (the default) works well for medium-sized buttons on a typical 1080p screen.
Confirm before running by default
When enabled, the Confirm before running toggle in the Button Editor is pre-checked for every new button you create.
Does not affect existing buttons.
Button Appearance
Button size
Sets the size of all button tiles globally.
| Size | Tile dimensions | Icon size |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 80 × 80 px | 20 px |
| Medium | 120 × 120 px | 32 px |
| Large | 160 × 160 px | 48 px |
Button theme
!!! tip "Pro feature" Button themes require RemoteX Pro. On the free tier this is locked to Bold (system default).
Applies a visual style to all button tiles. See Themes for a full description and screenshots of each option.
| Theme | Style |
|---|---|
| Bold | Solid colored tiles with strong contrast (default) |
| Phone | Compact flat tiles, reminiscent of a dial pad |
| Neon | Dark background with glowing accent borders |
| Retro | Terminal-inspired monochrome with scanlines |
Desktop Integration
Always on top
When enabled, the RemoteX window floats above all other windows. Requires wmctrl, which is listed as a required dependency (included in the installation instructions). If it is missing from your system:
sudo apt install wmctrl
This setting is also accessible from the hamburger menu as a quick toggle.
Launch at login
When enabled, RemoteX starts automatically when you log in to your desktop. This writes a .desktop file to ~/.config/autostart/remotex.desktop.
Disabling it removes the autostart file.
Allow MCP access
Enables the built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. When active, a compatible AI assistant (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) can read and manage your buttons.
Disabled by default. See AI Integration (MCP) for setup instructions.
!!! warning When MCP access is enabled, your AI assistant can create, modify, and delete buttons. Disable this toggle when not in use.
Categories
Lists all categories that currently exist in your button configuration. Each row has a toggle:
- Enabled — the category pill is visible in the category bar and its buttons appear in the grid
- Disabled — the category and its buttons are hidden from the grid (but not deleted)
This is the way to restore a category after hiding it with right-click → Hide category.
The list updates automatically as you add or remove categories.
License
Manages your RemoteX Pro license.
Activating
- Purchase a license at remotex pro page
- Paste your license key in the field
- Click Activate Pro
An internet connection is required for the initial activation.
Active license display
When a valid license is active, this section shows:
- License type — Yearly or Lifetime
- Expiry date — for yearly licenses (not shown for lifetime)
- Status — Active, or a warning if expiry is within 30 days
Renewing (yearly license)
Click Renew license to revalidate your key after purchasing a renewal. Requires an internet connection.
Deactivating
Click Deactivate license to remove the Pro license from this device. Free tier limits apply immediately.
Your buttons and machines are not deleted — custom buttons beyond 3 are temporarily hidden until you reactivate.