nm-connection-editor

nm-connection-editor [OPTIONS]

--help, -h
    Displays a help message and exits.

--version
    Shows version information about the application and exits.

--debug
    Enables verbose debugging messages, which can be useful for troubleshooting.

--display=DISPLAY
    Specifies the X display to connect to (standard GTK+/X option).

nm-connection-editor is a graphical user interface (GUI) utility designed for robust management of network connections configured by the NetworkManager service. It provides an intuitive and user-friendly way for desktop users to perform a wide range of tasks, including creating new connection profiles, editing existing ones, deleting obsolete configurations, and activating or deactivating network interfaces. This versatility extends to various connection types, such as wired Ethernet, wireless Wi-Fi, mobile broadband, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), DSL, and more.

By offering a visual interface, nm-connection-editor significantly simplifies complex network setup and troubleshooting, making advanced network configurations accessible to users who may not be familiar with command-line tools like nmcli or ip. It is a staple tool in most modern Linux desktop environments, including GNOME, KDE Plasma, XFCE, and MATE, where it typically integrates seamlessly with system settings and network indicator applets to provide a complete network management experience. Its primary purpose is to abstract the underlying complexities of network configuration, presenting a straightforward way to manage everything from IP addresses and DNS servers to Wi-Fi security protocols and VPN gateway details.

• Requires a running X server or Wayland compositor and a graphical desktop environment to function.
• The NetworkManager service must be active and running in the background for nm-connection-editor to manage connections.
• Modifying system-wide connections may require appropriate administrative privileges.

Requires the NetworkManager daemon to be running and a graphical desktop environment (e.g., GNOME, KDE, XFCE) with GTK+ libraries for its user interface.

This tool is primarily designed for graphical interaction. It's usually launched from a desktop environment's applications menu, system settings, or a network indicator icon in the system tray. Upon launch, it presents a window allowing users to visually manage all network connections configured by NetworkManager, offering controls for adding new connections, editing existing ones, or deleting them.

nm-connection-editor is an integral part of the NetworkManager project, which was initiated by Red Hat in 2004 with the aim of simplifying network setup and configuration for Linux desktop users, particularly those with mobile devices. As NetworkManager gained widespread adoption and became a standard component for network management across numerous Linux distributions, nm-connection-editor emerged as its primary graphical frontend. Its development is closely linked to the evolution of NetworkManager itself and the various desktop environments it integrates with, providing a user-friendly interface to the daemon's powerful capabilities.

nmcli(1), nmtui(1), NetworkManager(8), ip(8), ifconfig(8)