XFCE can be configured through the usual array of settings dialogs, where you can alter settings for displays, power management, audio and more. XFCE also provides the xfconf-query tool for querying and setting the configuration on the command line. When run with just the -l argument, xfconf-query outputs a list of channels: Channels are basically groupings of related settings. You can view all the settings in a channel with the -l switch specifying the channel with -c: To find the current value of a setting, specify the setting with the -p switch (for property) as well as the channel. Here's how to find how many minutes of inactivity before the screen is set to switch off: To change a setting, use the -s switch followed by the new value. This command dsiables screen power-saving ie it always stays on: