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Created Jun 9, 2013

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Spotify - Linux key bindings. From XFCE / Ubuntu keyboard shortcuts configuration, assign the control command to their key. http://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/12/linux-spotify-keybindings/
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spotify_keybindings
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause" XF86AudioPlay
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop" XF86AudioStop
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next" XF86AudioNext
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous" XF86AudioPrevious
@sjug

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sjug commented Mar 28, 2015

This is still working great, just a suggestionf for users on XFCE...
Just add the quotation part to the Keyboard > Application Shortcuts, then associate it with any key you'd like. (if you don't have media keys on your keyboard)
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katef commented Aug 20, 2015

Thanks for this!
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melki commented Feb 28, 2016

Awesome ! Thank you
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narcelio commented Apr 11, 2016

Thanks!
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liquid2026 commented Apr 12, 2016

Note it's not XF86AudioPrevious it's XF86AudioPrev and you must have the command on the second line.

"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause"
XF86AudioPlay
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop"
XF86AudioStop
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next"
XF86AudioNext
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous"
XF86AudioPrev
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ZERO20 commented May 24, 2016

Thank you! I worked for me !
@Wesdesignz

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Wesdesignz commented Jun 7, 2016

I'm on Ubuntu 16.04: for me it was required to install these package(s):
sudo apt-get install mpdris2 mpris-remote
(I haven't tested which of the 2 actually worked)

Then, I tested the following: I've dropped the quotes and removed the last part after the last quote, as this part didn't work for me (got an error: Data item "XF86AudioPlay" is badly formed).

dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause
dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop
dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next
dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous
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henningsway commented Jun 10, 2016

any way to program a "save to your music" shortcut? For pause/skip/etc ubuntu-shortcuts from keyboard preferences seem to work finde.
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duke90 commented Jul 4, 2016

Hail to the king, baby! :) Thanks man. Just switched to xubunbu, and it made me a headache to use my so-loved keyboard hotkey and mouse gesture to pause the music!
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lusentis commented Jul 11, 2016

Thanks! 👍
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derWeihnachtsmann commented Jul 17, 2016

Thank you very much for this bro!
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xtonousou commented Aug 15, 2016

Thanks m8!
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otroboe commented Aug 19, 2016

Awesome thank you !
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johnnymatthews commented Sep 12, 2016

Exactly what I needed thanks! Now when I press F8 the music play/pauses, and when I press F9 Spotify skips to the next track.

For those who are struggling, here's what I did:

In terminal

sudo apt-get install xbindkeys
cd ~/
sudo vim .xbindkeysrc

Scrolled to the bottom of the file and pasted

# spotify controls
"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause"
  F8

"dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next"
  F9

Then saved and exited.

I used VIM but you can probably just as easily use another text editor like Nano or something.
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b-m-f commented Sep 30, 2016

Great! Thanks
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Fkawala commented Oct 10, 2016

It rocks ! Thank you
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kitzberger commented Nov 15, 2016

Thanks for this snippet!

Had to rename XF86AudioPrevious to XF86AudioPrev though for me to work on Ubuntu 16.04
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SoyGoodPeople commented Dec 9, 2016

Linux XFCE Manjaro Work perfect
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FellerGabriel commented Dec 17, 2016

Thank you very much, you helped me a lot ;D
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barnaba commented Feb 10, 2017

For all two i3 guys:

bindsym $mod+Left exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous
bindsym $mod+Down exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop    
bindsym $mod+Up exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause 
bindsym $mod+Right exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next
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khallaghi commented Mar 5, 2017

I still have problem with previous and next keys on Ubuntu 14.04 & XFCE4 even though after changing XF86AudioPrevious to XF86AudioPrev but play and pause keys are perfect.
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alijawadfahs commented Mar 8, 2017

Wesdesignz thanks
worked perfectly !
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lamroger commented Mar 9, 2017

thanks @mohnjatthews ! also have to remember run xbindkeys
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joaquinsimenthal commented Mar 14, 2017

What can I do to config my keys in Openbox on Antergos or Archlinux?

Thank you so much for your help in advance...
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MohammedEihab01 commented Mar 28, 2017

well that worked ,,but it stopped the hotkeys for Rhythmbox the default player on XFCE4
any help to get the shortcuts to work for both ?
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frontman commented Apr 23, 2017 •
edited

Works on 4.8.17 Gallium OS. Thank you!
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sistemaon commented Apr 23, 2017

THANKS!
Works on Manjaro OS Edition (17.0.1) XFCE (4.12)
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axd commented May 4, 2017

Thanks @liquid2026

That's actually worked for me after a lot of failures. - https://gist.github.com/jbonney/5743509#gistcomment-1749006

OS: Xubuntu 16.04
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dragonalvaro commented May 25, 2017 •
edited

I still have problem with previous and next keys on Ubuntu 14.04 & XFCE4 even though after changing XF86AudioPrevious to XF86AudioPrev but play and pause keys are perfect.

I'm having the same issue on Xubuntu 17.04
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ailernx commented May 29, 2017

God bless you
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SilverTuxedo commented Jun 27, 2017

Thank you so very much! I Wish I had seen this sooner.
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PetterJ123 commented Oct 8, 2017

Bless every little part of you, have been searching for this solution in forever! Can't thank you enough! <3
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luperr commented Oct 19, 2017

Thank you very much!
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Endur3 commented Oct 19, 2017

Awesome, thanks!
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SergioGeeK7 commented Oct 25, 2017

great job
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graves501 commented Oct 27, 2017

@liquid2026 worked like a charm, thx!
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Nukencio commented Nov 14, 2017

Thanks guys! :D
Working in Xubuntu 16.04.3
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bbrrck commented Nov 27, 2017

thanks!
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dsalinux commented Dec 4, 2017

Perfect, thanks!
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rust20 commented Jan 17, 2018

Thanks!
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varh1i commented Jan 21, 2018

Thanks @sjug !
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campanoon commented Feb 4, 2018

Thanks @jbonney for the command and @sjug for the suggestion!
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andredxc commented Feb 6, 2018

Still works, thanks!!
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felixhummel commented Mar 14, 2018

Thank you very much! :)
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lsl commented Apr 17, 2018 •
edited

Bindsym version for the i3wm people using media keys (.i3/config)

# Bind media keys to spotify play, stop, next, previous
bindsym XF86AudioPlay exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause
bindsym XF86AudioStop exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop
bindsym XF86AudioNext exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next
bindsym XF86AudioPrev exec dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous
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ptaferner commented Apr 19, 2018

dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause
dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop
dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next
dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous

Those work absolutely fine for me on Ubuntu 17.10 when defined as "Custom Shortcuts" via Gnome Settings.
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Dessix commented May 27, 2018

To improve upon @barnaba's example for I3 users, and for those preferring direct media keys on hardware without fiddling with the Gnome controls UI:

# Pulse Audio controls
bindsym XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec --no-startup-id pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +5% #increase sound volume
bindsym XF86AudioLowerVolume exec --no-startup-id pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ -5% #decrease sound volume
bindsym XF86AudioMute exec --no-startup-id pactl set-sink-mute @DEFAULT_SINK@ toggle # mute sound

# Media keys

## Using [playerctl](https://github.com/acrisci/playerctl)
bindsym XF86AudioPrev exec --no-startup-id playerctl previous
bindsym XF86AudioNext exec --no-startup-id playerctl next
bindsym XF86AudioPlay exec --no-startup-id playerctl play-pause
bindsym XF86AudioPause exec --no-startup-id playerctl pause
bindsym XF86AudioStop exec --no-startup-id playerctl stop

## Non-playerctl option for Ubuntu
# bindsym XF86AudioPrev exec --no-startup-id "dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous"
# bindsym XF86AudioNext exec --no-startup-id "dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next"
# bindsym XF86AudioPlay exec --no-startup-id "dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause"
# bindsym XF86AudioPause exec --no-startup-id "dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Pause"
# bindsym XF86AudioStop exec --no-startup-id "dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop"
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h3ct0r commented Jun 29, 2018

Thanks! Worked very well on a DELL 5777 laptop with a vanilla Xubuntu 16.04!
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GarciaSouza commented Jul 4, 2018 •
edited

T.K.S!!!
Worked very well on a Lenovo IdeaPad 320 laptop with a Xubuntu 17.10 artful!
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torgeir commented Sep 8, 2018

To date https://gist.github.com/jbonney/5743509#gistcomment-1422561 is still working perfectly on xfce/ubuntu studio 👏
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chfritz commented Nov 18, 2018

For anyone curious which other commands the spotify client supports try:

dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.freedesktop.DBus.Introspectable.Introspect

This lists another method "Seek". Unfortunately it doesn't seem to do anything though, because no matter what value I try for Offset, it doesn't have any effect:

dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Seek int64:10

Still wanted to leave it here in case anyone else wants to figure this out. Seemed useful.
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arthurmbandeira commented Jul 11, 2019

Is there a command for the "15 seconds" key in Spotify?
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AugustoCalaca commented Jul 13, 2019 •
edited

It's work on Debian 10
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andrefsp commented Aug 5, 2019

Debian 10 - Buster.

Works just fine.
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chfritz commented Oct 1, 2019

For anyone else with this issue: In Ubuntu 18.04 using the snap version of Spotify the media keys work out of the box, except that Chrome is a little greedy and captures these keys (presumably to control YouTube content and the like). The good news is that this can be disabled here:
chrome://flags/#hardware-media-key-handling. After doing so the media key events will pass-through to Spotify again.
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mroliveira7 commented Nov 4, 2019 •
edited

Working great xubuntu 18.04
Thanks a lot!
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kobymeir commented Dec 12, 2019

@chfritz 10x so much that helped a lot
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chfritz commented Jan 22, 2020

And for anyone interested in querying the currently running song, this can be gotten from:

dbus-send --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify --print-reply /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Get string:org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player string:Metadata

Sample output:

method return time=1579663676.086557 sender=:1.134 -> destination=:1.420 serial=406 reply_serial=2
   variant       array [
         dict entry(
            string "mpris:trackid"
            variant                string "spotify:track:3d8Awbi4CFYp4Wp231MqdS"
         )
         dict entry(
            string "mpris:length"
            variant                uint64 433000000
         )
         dict entry(
            string "mpris:artUrl"
            variant                string "https://open.spotify.com/image/ab67616d00001e02bd3afe3a0169e70901d2933e"
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:album"
            variant                string "Total 7"
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:albumArtist"
            variant                array [
                  string "Various Artists"
               ]
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:artist"
            variant                array [
                  string "Oxia"
               ]
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:autoRating"
            variant                double 0.01
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:discNumber"
            variant                int32 2
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:title"
            variant                string "Domino"
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:trackNumber"
            variant                int32 11
         )
         dict entry(
            string "xesam:url"
            variant                string "https://open.spotify.com/track/3d8Awbi4CFYp4Wp231MqdS"
         )
      ]
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