How to Customize the Terminal Splash Screen on Linux

The splash screen is the image or text that is displayed when the terminal starts up. Customizing the Linux terminal splash screen is a great way to personalize your system and add a personal touch to your command line environment. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to customize the Linux terminal splash screen.

Using .bashrc

The .bashrc file is a script file that is executed whenever you open a new terminal window or start a new shell session on a Linux or Unix-based system. It is a shell script that contains commands and variables that are specific to the Bash shell, which is the default shell on most Linux and Unix-based systems.

The .bashrc file is located in your home directory and is a hidden file, which means it is not displayed by default in file managers or when running the ls command. To view and edit the .bashrc file, you can use a text editor such as nano or Vim.

The .bashrc file is used to customize your shell environment, including setting environment variables, aliases, and functions. It can also contain commands that are executed whenever a new shell session is started, such as changing the prompt or loading additional configuration files.

Step 1: Choose Splash Screen Image

The first step is to choose an image that you want to use as your splash screen. The image should be in a format that can be displayed in the terminal, such as ASCII art or an image in the PNG or JPG format. You can use your own image or find one online.

Step 2: Open Terminal

Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard or by searching for it in the applications menu.

Step 3: Install figlet

Figlet is a package that allows you to create ASCII art from text. To install the figlet package:

On Debian/Ubuntu-based distros, run:

sudo apt install figlet

On Fedora/RPM-based distros, run:

sudo dnf install figlet

On Arch-based distros, run:

sudo pacman -S figlet

Step 4: Create Splash Screen Text File

Open a text editor and create a new file. Enter the following command in the file to display the ASCII art or text as the splash screen:

figlet “Your Text Here”

Replace Your Text Here with the text you want to display as your splash screen. Save the file with a descriptive name like splash.txt.

Step 5: (Optional) Convert Image to ASCII Art

If you want to use an image as your splash screen, you can use the jp2a package to convert the image to ASCII art. To install jp2a:

On Debian/Ubuntu-based distros, run:

sudo apt install jp2a

On Fedora/RPM-based distros, run:

sudo dnf install jp2a

On Arch-based distros, run:

sudo pacman -S jp2a

To convert an image to ASCII art, enter the following command:

jp2a –width=80 image.png > splash.txt

Replace image.png with the name of the image file you want to convert.

Step 6: Add Splash Screen to .bashrc File

The next step is to add the splash screen to your .bashrc file. This file is located in your home directory and is executed each time you open a terminal window.

Open the .bashrc file with a text editor and add the following line at the end of the file:

cat /path/to/splash.txt

Replace /path/to/splash.txt with the path to your splash screen text file.

Step 7: Test Splash Screen

Save the .bashrc file and close the text editor. Open a new terminal window to test the splash screen. You should see the ASCII art or text that you entered in the splash screen text file displayed when the terminal starts up.

Conclusion

Customizing the Linux terminal splash screen is a simple process that can add a personal touch to your command line environment. With these steps, you can create a splash screen that is unique to your system and reflects your personality.