Perplexity - XFCE4 menu system while running an LXDE

Advanced MATE menu

I'm running MX-23. If I am running LXdestop can I access the menu system on my XFCE4 desktop and use it instead?

You cannot directly access or use the XFCE4 menu system while running an LXDE (LXDE/LXQt) session—each desktop environment manages its own panel, menu, and session processes. The menu you see in LXDE is managed by LXPanel, not XFCE4’s panel or menu system. Switching to the XFCE4 menu system requires logging into an XFCE session.

However, there are some important details and workarounds:

  • Menu Structure Compatibility: Both LXDE and XFCE use the XDG menu specification, so their menus are built from the same pool of .desktop files and categories. This means that, while the graphical appearance and menu editors differ, the underlying applications available in the menus are the same57.
  • Editing Menus: You can use tools like LXMenuEditor (lxmed) to edit the menu structure, and changes will be reflected in both environments since they share the same XDG menu files1. However, you are still editing the menu structure, not replacing the LXDE menu with the XFCE one.
  • Switching Menus: If you want to use the full XFCE menu system (panel, whisker menu, etc.), you must log out of LXDE and log into an XFCE session. The XFCE menu cannot be run as a standalone app inside LXDE.

Summary Table:

Action Possible in LXDE session? Notes
Access XFCE menu system directly No XFCE menu is tied to XFCE panel/session
Edit shared XDG menu structure Yes Use tools like LXMenuEditor
See same application entries Yes Both use XDG .desktop files
Run XFCE panel/whisker menu in LXDE No Requires XFCE session

If you want the XFCE menu experience, log into XFCE. If you want to customize the menu content for both environments, edit the XDG menu files using an editor like LXMenuEditor157.

  1. https://fitzcarraldoblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/an-easy-way-to-edit-the-xfce-application-menu/
  2. https://www.linux.org/threads/frustrated-how-can-i-get-my-own-menus.51218/
  3. https://wiki.xfce.org/howto/customize-menu
  4. https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=83100
  5. https://mxlinux.org/wiki/xfce/xfce-menus/
  6. https://www.reddit.com/r/xfce/comments/1fkrqf7/is_it_possible_to_edit_the_default_menu/
  7. https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=16939
  8. https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-desktop-74/location-of-xfce-panel-icons-within-mx-linux-4175721038/
  • You need to install the xfce4-panel and xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin packages. Once installed, you can start xfce4-panel from within your LXDE session, and add the Whisker Menu to it 1 3 5.
  • Both panels (LXPanel and XFCE4-panel) can run simultaneously. You can keep your LXDE panel for system tray, clock, etc., and use a minimal XFCE panel just for the Whisker Menu. Many users reduce the XFCE panel to a small size and position it alongside or above/below the LXDE panel 1 3.
  • Integration is limited: The XFCE panel and its plugins (including Whisker Menu) will not embed directly into the LXDE panel—they run as a separate panel window. You cannot add the Whisker Menu directly into the LXDE panel; it only works as part of the XFCE panel 1 3 4.
  • Some menu shortcuts (like logout) may not work out of the box unless you reconfigure them to use LXDE's session manager commands (e.g., set the logout button to run lxsession-logout instead of the XFCE logout command) 3 5.
  • To replace the LXDE panel entirely with the XFCE panel, you can set panel/command=xfce4-panel in your LXDE session configuration, but then you lose LXDE panel features 5.

Summary Table:

In practice:
Most users who want the Whisker Menu in LXDE run both panels and shrink the XFCE panel to just show the menu button 1 3 5. This setup is functional and widely used, though not as tightly integrated as in a pure XFCE session.

Is it possible to run XFCE panel or whisker menu inside LXDE

Yes, it is possible to run the XFCE panel and the Whisker Menu inside an LXDE session, but with some caveats:

  • You need to install the xfce4-panel and xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin packages. Once installed, you can start xfce4-panel from within your LXDE session, and add the Whisker Menu to it135.
  • Both panels (LXPanel and XFCE4-panel) can run simultaneously. You can keep your LXDE panel for system tray, clock, etc., and use a minimal XFCE panel just for the Whisker Menu. Many users reduce the XFCE panel to a small size and position it alongside or above/below the LXDE panel13.
  • Integration is limited: The XFCE panel and its plugins (including Whisker Menu) will not embed directly into the LXDE panel—they run as a separate panel window. You cannot add the Whisker Menu directly into the LXDE panel; it only works as part of the XFCE panel134.
  • Some menu shortcuts (like logout) may not work out of the box unless you reconfigure them to use LXDE's session manager commands (e.g., set the logout button to run lxsession-logout instead of the XFCE logout command)35.
  • To replace the LXDE panel entirely with the XFCE panel, you can set panel/command=xfce4-panel in your LXDE session configuration, but then you lose LXDE panel features5.

Summary Table:

Method Works? Notes
Run XFCE panel alongside LXDE panel Yes Whisker Menu available in separate panel window
Add Whisker Menu directly to LXDE panel No Not supported; only works in XFCE panel
Replace LXDE panel with XFCE panel Yes Full XFCE panel replaces LXDE panel

In practice:
Most users who want the Whisker Menu in LXDE run both panels and shrink the XFCE panel to just show the menu button135. This setup is functional and widely used, though not as tightly integrated as in a pure XFCE session.

  1. https://trisquel.info/en/forum/lxde-whisker-menu
  2. https://www.pragmaticlinux.com/2021/03/install-and-configure-the-whisker-menu-as-your-xfce-start-menu/
  3. https://gottcode.org/blog/go-little-menu/
  4. https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/67459/lxde-customize-main-menu-add-search-box-like-in-kde-kickoff-or-windows-7-vista
  5. https://www.channelfourteen.com/2017/02/joaos-thing-he-did-lbuntu-with-xfce.html
  6. https://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F96473-xfce4-whisker-menu%2F
  7. https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/comments/6kivl5/wanting_to_get_whisker_menu_in_lxde/
  8. https://askubuntu.com/questions/984415/lxqt-whisker-menu