Opera's Command Line Options
This document lists the available command line switches for the UNIX and Windows platforms.
This document was last updated for Opera 8.01.
Content
UNIX Command Line Options
Note: UNIX command line switches are case sensitive. They use the prefix '-'. Example: to launch Opera without home page or saved sessions, enter opera -nosession on the command line.
newwindow | Open url in new window |
newpage | Open url in new page (tab) |
backgroundpage | Open url in background page (tab) |
fullscreen | Start in full screen mode. Works only if no Opera instances are already running |
iconic | Start in iconic mode |
geometry <geometry> | Set geometry of toplevel window. Format: WIDTHxHEIGHT+XOFF+YOFF |
remote "<command>" | Send command to another Opera window |
noraise | No window raise when receiving remote commands. Only works for remote commands that do not open a dialog box |
window <window id> | Launch remote opera window. Works for 'remote' and 'newwindow' commands |
windowname <window name> | Launch remote opera window with a symbolic name. Works for 'remote' and 'newwindow' commands, will override 'newwindow' if a named window is located |
restore | Restore default interface |
nosession | Launch without saved sessions or home page |
nowin | Launch without any open pages. Will disable any URL argument |
nomail | Launch Opera without internal e-mail client |
language <file> | Use translation from specified file |
binarydir <path> | Location of version specific binaries |
personaldir <path> | Location of alternative '.opera' directory |
display <displayname> | Set the X display |
fn <font> | Set the normal text font |
bg <color> | Set the background color |
fg <color> | Set the foreground color |
visual TrueColor | Use TrueColor visual on an 8-bit display |
cmap | Use private color map on an 8-bit display |
smallicon | Use a smaller icon image |
debugdns | Simple debugging of asynchronous dns lookup |
debugfont | Simple debugging of font handling |
debugjava | Simple debugging of Java |
debugkeyboard | Simple debugging of keyboard events |
debugmouse | Simple debugging of mouse presses |
debugplugin | Simple debugging of plug-in handling |
disableinputmethods | Disable input methods |
restoreextensions | Restore default file type extensions |
version | Display version number |
kioskhelp | Display extra settings for kiosk mode operation |
help or h | Display list of command line options |
Note: A standalone URL argument or any of the switches 'newwindow', 'newpage', 'backgroundpage' or 'nowin' will disable 'remote' commands.
Windows Command Line Options
Note: Windows command line switches must be preceded by '/' (a forward slash) only. They are case insensitive.
Settings <full path> | Launch with specified settings (opera6.ini) file |
Debug | Voice debug mode |
Kiosk Mode Switches
Kiosk mode switches are only available for registered versions of Opera and are identical for the Windows, Mac OS X (starting with Opera Beta), and UNIX platforms.
kioskmode or k | Start Opera in kiosk mode. Automatically enables nochangefullscreen and nochangebuttons. |
kioskbuttons | Display a limited set of buttons for kiosk mode (default kiosk mode setting is no buttons) |
kioskresetstation | Reset the kiosk after a certain period of inactivity (in seconds. The timer is set in the file opera6.ini (Opera Preferences on Macintosh) |
kioskwindows | Allow for Multiple Document Interface and use of the page bar in kiosk mode. |
nochangefullscreen | Locks user to full-screen mode. |
kiosknormalscreen | Overrides the /nochangefullscreen switch to allow for normal screen mode. |
nochangebuttons | Disables customization of the user interface. |
nocontextmenu | Disable all context (right-click) menus. |
nodownload | Do not allow user to download files. |
noexit | Do not allow user to quit application. Use with caution. |
nopanel | Disable all panels. |
nokeys | Disable all keyboard shortcuts. |
nomaillinks | Disable mailto-links. |
nomenu | Disable main menu. |
noprint | Disable printing. |
nosave | Disable "Save" dialog for any file type. |
nosplash | Disable startup dialog. |
resetonexit | Will clear private data (history, cache, and cookies) and files that store JavaScript and URL password warnings on exit. |
Remote Opera Commands for UNIX
All remote commands must be enclosed in quotation marks.
openURL() | Open "Go to" dialog box prompting for input |
openURL(url) | Open url in active window |
openURL(url,new-window) | Open url in new window |
openURL(url,new-page) | Open url in new page (tab) |
openURL(url,background-page) | Open url in background page (tab) |
openFile() | Open file selector dialog box |
openM2() | Open M2 list view |
openComposer() | Open M2 composer window |
addBookmark(url) | Add url to bookmark list |
raise() | Raises the opera window |
lower() | Lowers the opera window |
Promote Opera
Show the world that you use Opera by placing a Opera button on your site.