Linux Media Control CLI

Use playerctl to control media players (Spotify, VLC, Firefox, Chrome, etc.) from the terminal. This is the standard way to control media on Linux.

Setup

Install playerctl:

bash

sudo apt-get install -y playerctl

Basic Playback Control

Play

bash

playerctl play

Pause

bash

playerctl pause

Toggle play/pause

bash

playerctl play-pause

Stop

bash

playerctl stop

Next track

bash

playerctl next

Previous track

bash

playerctl previous

Volume Control

Get current volume

bash

playerctl volume

Set volume (0.0 to 1.0)

bash

playerctl volume 0.5

Increase volume

bash

playerctl volume 0.1+

Decrease volume

bash

playerctl volume 0.1-

Mute (set to 0)

bash

playerctl volume 0

Track Information

Current track metadata

bash

playerctl metadata

Track title

bash

playerctl metadata title

Artist

bash

playerctl metadata artist

Album

bash

playerctl metadata album

Current position

bash

playerctl position

Track length

bash

playerctl metadata mpris:length

Album art URL

bash

playerctl metadata mpris:artUrl

Formatted output

bash

playerctl metadata --format "{{ artist }} - {{ title }}"

Seeking

Go to position (seconds)

bash

playerctl position 30

Skip forward 10 seconds

bash

playerctl position 10+

Skip backward 10 seconds

bash

playerctl position 10-

Player Selection

List available players

bash

playerctl --list-all

Control specific player

bash

playerctl --player=spotify play
playerctl --player=vlc pause
playerctl --player=firefox next

Control all players

bash

playerctl --all-players pause

Ignore specific player

bash

playerctl --ignore-player=chromium play-pause

Player Status

Get playback status

bash

playerctl status

Returns: Playing, Paused, or Stopped

Check if playing

bash

if [ "$(playerctl status)" = "Playing" ]; then
  echo "Music is playing"
fi

Shuffle & Loop

Get shuffle status

bash

playerctl shuffle

Enable/disable shuffle

bash

playerctl shuffle on
playerctl shuffle off
playerctl shuffle toggle

Get loop status

bash

playerctl loop

Set loop mode

bash

playerctl loop None
playerctl loop Track
playerctl loop Playlist

Advanced

Open URI in player

bash

playerctl open "spotify:track:4iV5W9uYEdYUVa79Axb7Rh"
playerctl open "https://example.com/song.mp3"

Follow metadata changes (watch mode)

bash

playerctl metadata --follow --format "Now playing: {{ artist }} - {{ title }}"

Wait for player events

bash

playerctl --follow status

Spotify Specific

List Spotify tracks

bash

playerctl --player=spotify metadata

Get Spotify track ID

bash

playerctl --player=spotify metadata mpris:trackid

Play specific Spotify URI

bash

playerctl --player=spotify open spotify:track:TRACK_ID

Scripts Examples

Now Playing Notification

bash

notify-send "Now Playing" "$(playerctl metadata --format '{{ artist }} - {{ title }}')"

Auto-pause on lock

bash

# Add to screen lock script
playerctl pause

Toggle play and show status

bash

playerctl play-pause
if [ "$(playerctl status)" = "Playing" ]; then
  notify-send "Playing" "$(playerctl metadata title)"
else
  notify-send "Paused"
fi

System Volume (alternative)

Using pactl (PulseAudio)

bash

# Get volume
pactl get-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@

# Set volume
pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ 50%

# Increase volume
pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ +10%

# Decrease volume
pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ -10%

# Mute toggle
pactl set-sink-mute @DEFAULT_SINK@ toggle

Using amixer (ALSA)

bash

# Increase volume
amixer set Master 10%+

# Decrease volume
amixer set Master 10%-

# Mute toggle
amixer set Master toggle

Notes

•Linux-only.
•Works with MPRIS-compatible players (Spotify, VLC, Firefox, Chrome, etc.).
•Spotify must be running for Spotify commands to work.
•Use playerctl --list-all to see available players.
•Some features may vary by player.