Linux

Is there any way to include JabRef in the start menu of Ubuntu?

Yes, there is. See http://askubuntu.com/a/721387/196423 for details.

JabRef does not start under Linux! What can I do?

JabRef 5.x

JabRef comes with a bundled JRE. There is no need to install Java separately. Thus, there should be no issues at start up.

JabRef 4.x

JabRef requires Java 8

Please follow the steps provided on our . JabRef 4.x does not run under Java 9 or newer. See

You might see the error message Error: Could not find or load main class org.jabref.JabRefMain. This means, you do not have support activated in your Java runtime environment. This typically happens if you use , where one needs to setup separately.

I am on Debian/Ubuntu and clicking on the JabRef icon works, but I cannot start JabRef from the command line. What is wrong?

You have several Java Virtual Machines installed, and under the command line the wrong one is chosen. Have a look at the previous question that tells you how to change the virtual machine used.

For Ubuntu you may also have a look at the .

Everything looks too big or too small. How can I change it to to a more reasonable size?

In the background, JabRef uses . Applications using JavaFX can be scaled via java -Dglass.gtk.uiScale=1.5 -jar <application>.jar. If you have installed JabRef via a package manager, you probably don't have a .jar file but a binary file. In this case, you need to find your JabRef.cfg in your installation folder (possibly located at /opt/JabRef/lib/app/JabRef.cfg) and add in the section [JavaOptions] the line -Dglass.gtk.uiScale=1.5. Then, restart JabRef. Try finding a value that is suitable for you. On high resolution displays, values around 1.5 seem to be reasonable.

Where can I find JabRef's log files?

A: On Linux, the path to the log files is ~/.local/share/jabref/logs/$version/