Cannot start chromium + code: Failed to connect to Wayland display

user6402088 · 2026-05-01 08:05:34

Starting chromium, google-chrome-stable or visual studio code fails with below error. This has been happening for the past +-3 weeks. Prior to that all 3 apps worked.

[6790:0501/014316.037289:ERROR:ui/ozone/platform/wayland/host/wayland_connection.cc:202] Failed to connect to Wayland display: No such file or directory (2)
[6790:0501/014316.037362:ERROR:ui/ozone/platform/wayland/ozone_platform_wayland.cc:282] Failed to initialize Wayland platform
[6790:0501/014316.037431:ERROR:ui/aura/env.cc:257] The platform failed to initialize.  Exiting.

How do I get these apps to work again?

What I've tried but didn't work

Gone through https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Wayland
Removed the entire google-chrome folder from inside ~/.config (rm -rf google-chrome)
Starting the apps with --disable-gpu
Starting the apps with --ozone-platform-hint=x11
chromium --use-angle=vulkan --use-cmd-decoder=passthrough
chromium --ozone-platform-hint=auto
chromium --ozone-platform=wayland
chromium --gtk-version=4
chromium --disable-gtk-ime
chromium --enable-wayland-ime --wayland-text-input-version=3

My Configuration

uname -a

Linux 7.0.2-arch1-1 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:22:44 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux

echo $DISPLAY

:0.0

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

wayland

echo $WAYLAND_DISPLAY Originally this was not set. I manually set it by running export WAYLAND_DISPLAY=wayland-0) 

wayland-0

chromium --version

Chromium 147.0.7727.137 Arch Linux

google-chrome-stable --version

Google Chrome 147.0.7727.137

code --version

1.117.0
10c8e557c8b9f9ed0a87f61f1c9a44bde731c409
x64

printenv (I changed some settings like user name, machine name)

COLORTERM=truecolor
DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus
DEBUGINFOD_URLS=https://debuginfod.archlinux.org 
DESKTOP_SESSION=xfce
DISPLAY=:0.0
GDMSESSION=xfce
GDM_LANG=en_US.UTF-8
GTK_MODULES=canberra-gtk-module:canberra-gtk-module
HOME=/home/username
LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8
LOGNAME=a
MAIL=/var/spool/mail/username
MOTD_SHOWN=pam
PATH=/home/username/.config/composer/vendor/bin/:/home/username/.nvm/versions/node/v25.6.1/bin:/home/username/.cargo/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin:/usr/lib/jvm/default/bin:/usr/bin/site_perl:/usr/bin/vendor_perl:/usr/bin/core_perl:/home/username/.dotnet/tools
PWD=/home/username/documents
SESSION_MANAGER=local/mylaptop1234:@/tmp/.ICE-unix/2097,unix/mylaptop1234:/tmp/.ICE-unix/2097
SHELL=/bin/zsh
SHLVL=1
SSH_AGENT_PID=2169
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/home/username/.ssh/usernamegent/s.rCo1uXQHo5.agent.cDFp3SYcIK
TERM=tmux-256color
TERM_PROGRAM=tmux
TERM_PROGRAM_VERSION=3.6a
TMUX=/tmp/tmux-1000/default,3381,1
TMUX_PANE=%3
USER=username
USERNAME=username
VTE_VERSION=8400
WINDOWID=50331651
WINDOWPATH=2
XAUTHORITY=/run/user/1000/gdm/Xauthority
XDG_CACHE_HOME=/home/username/.cache
XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg
XDG_CONFIG_HOME=/home/username/.config
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=XFCE
XDG_DATA_DIRS=/home/username/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share:/usr/local/share/:/usr/share/:/usr/share
XDG_MENU_PREFIX=xfce-
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
XDG_SEAT=seat0
XDG_SESSION_CLASS=user
XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=xfce
XDG_SESSION_EXTRA_DEVICE_ACCESS=render:accel
XDG_SESSION_ID=3
XDG_SESSION_TYPE=wayland
XDG_VTNR=2
OLDPWD=/home/username/.local/share/mime
DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OUTPUT=1
EDITOR=vim
PAGER=less
LS_COLORS=rs=0:di=01;34:ln=01;36:mh=00:pi=40;33:so=01;35:do=01;35:bd=40;33;01:cd=40;33;01:or=40;31;01:mi=00:su=37;41:sg=30;43:ca=00:tw=30;42:ow=34;42:st=37;44:ex=01;32:*.7z=01;31:*.ace=01;31:*.alz=01;31:*.apk=01;31:*.arc=01;31:*.arj=01;31:*.bz=01;31:*.bz2=01;31:*.cab=01;31:*.cpio=01;31:*.crate=01;31:*.deb=01;31:*.drpm=01;31:*.dwm=01;31:*.dz=01;31:*.ear=01;31:*.egg=01;31:*.esd=01;31:*.gz=01;31:*.jar=01;31:*.lha=01;31:*.lrz=01;31:*.lz=01;31:*.lz4=01;31:*.lzh=01;31:*.lzma=01;31:*.lzo=01;31:*.pyz=01;31:*.rar=01;31:*.rpm=01;31:*.rz=01;31:*.sar=01;31:*.swm=01;31:*.t7z=01;31:*.tar=01;31:*.taz=01;31:*.tbz=01;31:*.tbz2=01;31:*.tgz=01;31:*.tlz=01;31:*.txz=01;31:*.tz=01;31:*.tzo=01;31:*.tzst=01;31:*.udeb=01;31:*.war=01;31:*.whl=01;31:*.wim=01;31:*.xz=01;31:*.z=01;31:*.zip=01;31:*.zoo=01;31:*.zst=01;31:*.avif=01;35:*.jpg=01;35:*.jpeg=01;35:*.jxl=01;35:*.mjpg=01;35:*.mjpeg=01;35:*.gif=01;35:*.bmp=01;35:*.pbm=01;35:*.pgm=01;35:*.ppm=01;35:*.tga=01;35:*.xbm=01;35:*.xpm=01;35:*.tif=01;35:*.tiff=01;35:*.png=01;35:*.svg=01;35:*.svgz=01;35:*.mng=01;35:*.pcx=01;35:*.mov=01;35:*.mpg=01;35:*.mpeg=01;35:*.m2v=01;35:*.mkv=01;35:*.webm=01;35:*.webp=01;35:*.ogm=01;35:*.mp4=01;35:*.m4v=01;35:*.mp4v=01;35:*.vob=01;35:*.qt=01;35:*.nuv=01;35:*.wmv=01;35:*.asf=01;35:*.rm=01;35:*.rmvb=01;35:*.flc=01;35:*.avi=01;35:*.fli=01;35:*.flv=01;35:*.gl=01;35:*.dl=01;35:*.xcf=01;35:*.xwd=01;35:*.yuv=01;35:*.cgm=01;35:*.emf=01;35:*.ogv=01;35:*.ogx=01;35:*.aac=00;36:*.au=00;36:*.flac=00;36:*.m4a=00;36:*.mid=00;36:*.midi=00;36:*.mka=00;36:*.mp3=00;36:*.mpc=00;36:*.ogg=00;36:*.ra=00;36:*.wav=00;36:*.oga=00;36:*.opus=00;36:*.spx=00;36:*.xspf=00;36:*~=00;90:*#=00;90:*.bak=00;90:*.crdownload=00;90:*.dpkg-dist=00;90:*.dpkg-new=00;90:*.dpkg-old=00;90:*.dpkg-tmp=00;90:*.old=00;90:*.orig=00;90:*.part=00;90:*.rej=00;90:*.rpmnew=00;90:*.rpmorig=00;90:*.rpmsave=00;90:*.swp=00;90:*.tmp=00;90:*.ucf-dist=00;90:*.ucf-new=00;90:*.ucf-old=00;90:
LESS_TERMCAP_mb=[01;31m
LESS_TERMCAP_md=[01;31m
LESS_TERMCAP_me=[0m
LESS_TERMCAP_se=[0m
LESS_TERMCAP_so=[01;44;33m
LESS_TERMCAP_ue=[0m
LESS_TERMCAP_us=[01;32m
ZSH=/home/username/.oh-my-zsh
LESS=-R
LSCOLORS=Gxfxcxdxbxegedabagacad
DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT=1
NVM_DIR=/home/username/.nvm
NVM_CD_FLAGS=-q
NVM_BIN=/home/username/.nvm/versions/node/v25.6.1/bin
NVM_INC=/home/username/.nvm/versions/node/v25.6.1/include/node
CCACHE_COMPRESS=1
FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND=fd --type f --type l
FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS=--layout=reverse --inline-info --multi
FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND=fd --follow --exclude .git --exclude node_modules
FZF_ALT_C_COMMAND=fd --type d --follow --exclude .git --exclude node_modules
WAYLAND_DISPLAY=wayland-0
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8
LC_MESSAGES=
_=/usr/bin/printenv

Last edited by user6402088 (2026-05-01 21:07:06)

seth · 2026-05-01 10:36:16

Please use [code][/code] tags. Edit your post in this regard.

GDMSESSION=xfce

GDM 50 can no longer start X11 session (possibly a bug, likely they don't care about DEs that are not gnome) and spills the environment with stuff that makes it look like this is a wayland session.
Unless you want to try the experimental wayland version of xfce, try eg. lightdm instead (nb. that gnome itself more or less depends on GDM)

user6402088 · 2026-05-01 21:09:10

I did not have a wayland compositor installed. I installed labwc. (I could not get wayfire to work with xfce4). All 3 apps work now again.

Also using gnome fixed the problem.

seth · 2026-05-02 05:55:44

Also using gnome fixed the problem.

Gnome, specifically GDM *is* the problem - it sullies the session environment, making clients believe they're running in a wayland environment despite this being an X11 session.
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=313015

Please always remember to mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

Arch Linux

#1 2026-05-01 08:05:34

Cannot start chromium + code: Failed to connect to Wayland display

#2 2026-05-01 10:36:16

Re: Cannot start chromium + code: Failed to connect to Wayland display

#3 2026-05-01 21:09:10

Re: Cannot start chromium + code: Failed to connect to Wayland display

#4 2026-05-02 05:55:44

Re: Cannot start chromium + code: Failed to connect to Wayland display

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