Enabling Numlock upon login in Jaunty and Karmic

System -> Preferences -> Keyboard -> Layout -> Layout Options -> Miscellaneous compatibility options -> turn on "Default numeric keypad keys"

This setting takes effect after logging in and does not affect the graphical login screen or local consoles.

It requires the numlockx utility, which can be installed with:

sudo apt-get install numlockx

Enabling NumLock during startup and before login

Here's how to enable numlock to stay on during startup and before you login so it is on before you enter your username password into the logon screen

Enabling NumLock in GDM (as used in Ubuntu Gnome and Xubuntu XFCE)

If you are using GDM you can use numlockx:

Install numlockx using apt-get, aptitude or Synaptic
In Hardy and Gutsy, edit /etc/gdm/Init/Default. For older versions of Ubuntu edit /etc/X11/gdm/Init/Default instead.
- Find the line
```
exit 0
```
- Add the following code above that line
```
if [ -x /usr/bin/numlockx ]; then
  /usr/bin/numlockx on
fi
```

Here is a script to do exactly this

# Set numlock on in GDM
echo "Setting numlock on in GDM"
GDM_INIT=/etc/gdm/Init/Default
if [ -f $GDM_INIT ]; then
  if ! grep -q numlockx $GDM_INIT ; then
    sed -i 's/^exit 0/test -x \/usr\/bin\/numlockx \&\& \/usr\/bin\/numlockx on\nexit 0/g' $GDM_INIT
  fi
fi

Also.. even if the numlock light on your keyboard is on.. there is a setting that can override it. System->Preferences->Keyboard.. then click the "Mouse Keys" tab and make sure to uncheck "Pointer can be controlled using the keypad".

Enabling NumLock in KDM

This is similar to the instructions for GDM. Edit /etc/kde4/kdm/Xsetup (if you are still running kde3 you will want to edit /etc/kde3/kdm/Xsetup instead) and add the following code to it:

if [ -x /usr/bin/numlockx ]; then
  /usr/bin/numlockx on
fi

Enabling NumLock in KDE (as used in Kubuntu)

From the K Menu, launch System Settings and click on Keyboard (Edgy users: K Menu -> System Settings -> Keyboard and Mouse -> Keyboard). You can see in the middle section the options for "NumLock on KDE Startup", where you can choose to Turn On, Turn Off, or Leave Unchanged. Select "Turn On" to turn NumLock on at startup.

Enabling NumLock from startx

If you are not using a graphical display manager then add the following line to /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

/usr/bin/numlockx on

Enabling NumLock for Virtual Consoles (TTYs)

If you use the virtual consoles regularly, then you will quite likely want to have numlock on for the TTYs after boot up. The status of numlock/scroll-lock/capslock can be manipulated with the setleds command. One way to guarantee that numlock will be turned on after bootup for the TTYs is to run setleds via rc.local (a script run after every runlevel change; which in particular runs after booting up). To do so add something similar to the following in the file /etc/rc.local:

# Turn Numlock on for the TTYs:
for tty in /dev/tty[1-6]; do
    /usr/bin/setleds -D +num < $tty
done

Ubuntu Documentation