How to change the LED on a Logitech G series mouse in Linux
Some of the Logitech gaming series of mice have RGB LEDs on them that the user can change. Usually, these changes are made within Microsoft Windows, as the Logitech corporation has little to no Linux support, and hasn’t announced any plans to support the platform in the future. As a result, Linux fans with a Logitech G series mouse have to rely on custom, third-party software to set LED settings within Linux.
In this guide, we’ll go over how to customize and change the LED settings on various Logitech G series mice within Linux. Though, please keep in mind that only a few mice are supported with this method, and your results may vary.
Install Piper
There are several user-created shell scripts for Linux that can make it so that users can manipulate the LED settings of a Logitech G series mouse. These scripts are all very handy, but the problem is that often they only support a single device, rather than most of the Logitech G series mice available on the market.
A great tool for Logitech G mice owners to use in place of custom shell scripts on Linux is Piper, a GUI tool that makes it so that users can easily tweak the lighting color of Logitech G series mice, as well as lighting animation effects. Piper also lets users customize mouse button functions as well!
The Piper application is easy to install on many of the mainstream Linux distributions out there. To get it working on what you use, open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, follow the command-line instructions that correspond to the operating system you are currently using.
Ubuntu/Debian
The Piper app is available to a whole host of Linux distributions through primary software sources. On Ubuntu Linux and Debian, this isn’t true. For whatever reason, the developers behind these distributions haven’t felt it necessary to include them.
Even if Piper isn’t readily available on the Ubuntu official software sources, or Debian’s “Main” repository, it’s still possible to install via Flatpak. So, skip down to the “Flatpak” installation instructions, and soon you’ll have Piper running!
Arch Linux
The Piper application is installable on Arch Linux via the “Community” software repository. To enable this repo, open up “pacman.conf” in the Nano text editor with the command below.
sudo nano -w /etc/pacman.conf
Scroll down the configuration file, look for “Community” and remove the # symbol from in front of it. Be sure to also remove any # symbols from the lines directly below it.
Save the edits done in Nano with Ctrl + O, exit with Ctrl + X. Then, install the Piper application on your Arch Linux PC with:
sudo pacman -Syy piper
Fedora
Ever since Fedora 29, Piper has been in the primary Fedora Linux software repositories. To install the application on your system, use the Dnf command below.
sudo dnf install piper
OpenSUSE
For OpenSUSE Leap 15.1, and OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, the Piper application is shipped in the “Oss all” software repository. To install the app, use the Zypper command below.
sudo zypper install piper
Flatpak
Piper is available on Flatpak, which is excellent if you’re on Ubuntu, Debian, or even a lesser-known Linux distribution that doesn’t have the app available in their software sources. To install it, enable the Flatpak runtime on your system, and enter the commands below.
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo flatpak install flathub org.freedesktop.Piper
Change LED on a Logitech G series mouse
Ensure your Logitech G series mouse is plugged into your Linux PC. Then, open up the Piper application by searching for “Piper” in the application menu. Once the app is up and running, follow the step-by-step instructions below to learn how to change LED colors.
Step 1: Inside of the Piper app window, find the “LEDs” section and select it with the mouse.
Step 2: Look at the diagram of your mouse for the different LED options available to change, and click the gear icon next to it.
Please note that in this guide, there is only one LED available to change in the Piper application. Yours may be different.
Step 3: In the color menu, there are four different menus. “Solid”, “Cycle”, “Breathing”, and “Off”. Click on the mode that you feel best suits your needs. Then, use the menu to set the LED to use the color you like best.
Step 4: Locate the “Apply” button and select it to set the LED color on your Logitech G series mouse.
Close the Piper application as it is no longer needed. From here, your Logitech G series mouse’s LED color should be set correctly. If it isn’t, unplug and replug in the mouse.
