pw-link(1)
Create connections between PipeWire ports to route audio and video between applications.
Synopsis
pw-link [OPTION]... [INPUT_PORT] [OUTPUT_PORT]Description
pw-link is a PipeWire command-line tool for creating and managing connections between audio and video ports. It allows you to route media streams between applications, devices, and virtual ports without restarting services.
Use it to connect an output port (source) to an input port (sink). You can list available ports, create new connections, and disconnect existing ones. Port names can be specified by index, name, or object properties.
Common options
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
-h, --help | Show help message and exit |
-l, --list-all | List all available input and output ports with details |
-I, --list-inputs | List only input ports (sinks) |
-O, --list-outputs | List only output ports (sources) |
-d, --disconnect | Disconnect specified ports instead of connecting them |
-p, --properties | Show properties of ports and connections |
-r, --remote | Connect to specific PipeWire remote (default: default) |
-v, --verbose | Show verbose output with additional details |
Examples
List all available audio and video ports with their IDs and names
pw-link -lShow only input ports (sinks) where audio can be sent
pw-link -IShow only output ports (sources) that produce audio or video
pw-link -ORoute Firefox audio output to the default ALSA speaker device
pw-link 'alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo' 'Firefox:playback_FL'Disconnect the link between port 45 (output) and port 47 (input)
pw-link -d 45 47Connect PulseAudio playback to a JACK audio application
pw-link 'PulseAudio:playback_FL' 'JACK:input_1'Display detailed properties of the microphone capture port
pw-link -p 'Microphone:capture_FL'