I have recently switched to Gnome 3 from Gnome 2 (and switched to Linux recently before that), and Gnome 3 doesn't give me as many options to change settings via the GUI, and especially not to change default settings.

Specifically, I'm trying to change the lid close action on my laptop, since I don't want it to suspend on lid close ever. (I changed this for my own user(s) via the gnome-tweak-tool.)

I've taken a few unsuccessful stabs. I imagine this has to do with `sudo` for some user, whether `sudo` for *root* or *gdm*.

I've tried (in a console window in a Gnome session and in an SSH session from a remote machine):

```
> sudo gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action
'suspend'
> sudo gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action "blank"

```

For this, I receive an error about an inability to initialize X11.

I've also tried:

```
> sudo -u gdm gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action

```

But, this asks for *gdm*'s password, which I've never set. I have continued with `passwd`, but it tells me: `Cannot unlock the password for `gdm'!` And, I could try forcing an unlock of the user, but this resistance to me indicates that perhaps I should abandon this path.

I don't know if each of these warrants its own line of questioning, but in the end, I'm just trying to set the laptop lid close setting (the default for all users), though I'd like to know more generally how to set Gnome's default preferences.