How to remap caps lock to esc in Ubuntu 17.10 and terminator?

Question

I want to remap Caps Lock to Esc on my Ubuntu 17.10 laptop.

I have tried this method: How to remap key in Ubuntu 17.10 Wayland? (Up key to Shift), this method: https://linuxcommando.blogspot.ca/2008/03/remap-caps-lock-key-for-virtual-console.html, and this method: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xmodmap to no avail.

Neither work, Caps Lock is still Caps Lock.

How do I remap these keys system wide? It's dead simple in OSX, there is a setting in system preferences to make Caps Lock Esc and that's it, it works in every app. Is there anything similar in Ubuntu 17.10?

tranfuria · Answer 1 · 2018-02-26T17:13:51.947

5

You could try the Gnome-tweak-tool, assuming you're running on gnome, if you're on unity, there is a unity-tweak-tool. Both can be installed using apt:

sudo apt-get update

&&

sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

OR

sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool

in the gnome tweak tool under 'Keyboard & Mouse' there is an option called 'Additional Layout' options, in here you can change capslock key behavior, mapping it to esc, as well as just about anything you want.

Here is a picture as to what it might look like

edited Feb 26 '18 at 17:13

answered Feb 19 '18 at 20:32

tranfuria

91

Great, thank you. I wish there was a way to do it via the command line (I use Ansible to setup new machines), but this is much better than nothing! – springloaded Feb 19 '18 at 23:48
@springloaded: Of course there is a command line way to do it too. I showed it in an alternative answer. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Feb 20 '18 at 15:05
2

Unfortunately in gnome-tweak-tool 3.28.1 this option is removed. – lz96 May 21 '18 at 05:05
@lz96: No it's not. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Sep 03 '18 at 18:58

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 20 '18 at 15:03

5

Same as tranfuria's answer but on command line:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.input-sources xkb-options "['caps:escape']"

answered Feb 20 '18 at 15:03

Gunnar Hjalmarsson

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Is there a way to persist this change? It appears to be gone after a system update through apt dist-upgrade. – k0pernikus Sep 03 '18 at 15:58
@k0pernikus: It should be persistent. Please ask a new question if you found otherwise. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Sep 03 '18 at 18:56
use "['caps:swapescape]" in case you want to preserve capslock too. – Giorgos Xou Jul 29 '22 at 17:59

How to remap caps lock to esc in Ubuntu 17.10 and terminator?

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