How to Install GUI (Desktop Environment) on Ubuntu Server?
A Ubuntu system offers two interfaces, CLI and the GUI. By default, Ubuntu Server comes with the command line interface. The command line support is effective in managing resource-consuming tasks. However, the GUI is effective enough to carry out the daily/routine operations of a regular user.
For users using the Ubuntu server for routine activities, it is recommended to install the GUI (Desktop Environment – DE) on the Ubuntu server to interact with the system graphically.
Today’s guide will demonstrate the installation of the GUI on the Ubuntu server.
- Prerequisites
- How to Install GUI (Dekstop Environment) on GUI Server?
- How to Install Display Manager on Ubuntu Server?
- How to Remove/Uninstall the GUI (Desktop Environment) from Ubuntu Server?
- Bottom Line
Prerequisites
Before proceeding, ensure that the following prerequisites are fulfilled to carry out smooth installation:
- Log in as a Root user or the user having sudo rights:
- Update the core libraries of the server to get the latest available packages:
sudo apt update;sudo apt upgrade
How to Install GUI (Desktop Environment) on Ubuntu Server?
The default repositories of Ubuntu are equipped with tens of the latest desktop environments. They include GNOME for Debian/Ubuntu, XFCE, MATE, LXDE, LXQt, KDE Plasma, etc. These desktop environments are available in packages (managed via apt) and tasks (managed via tasksel/apt). Here are the detailed methods:
How to Install GNOME on the Ubuntu Server?
Various Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Fedora, Kali, and Debian, come by default with the GNOME desktop environment. Although, GNOME consumes a bit more resources than its competitors it is comparatively more stable and user-friendly DE than its competitors. It is suggested to install GNOME on your server if you want a high-quality experience of GUI.
Minimum/Recommended System Requirements:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended/Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 1.5GB | 4GB |
| CPU | 1GHz | 1GHz |
| Hard Disk Space | 5GB | Upto 25GB |
Installation Commands:
| sudo apt install ubuntu-gnome-desktop #Full Version sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop-minimal #Minimal sudo apt install vanilla-gnome-desktop #More Stripped Than Minimal sudo apt install task-gnome-desktop #Full |
|---|
Let’s install the full version “ubuntu-gnome-desktop”:
Reboot the system after the installation and you will get the log-in screen:
At the time of installing the package named “gnome-ubuntu-desktop”, the display manager was installed automatically, and here’s the login interface of the Ubuntu server:
Important: By default, a few desktop environments select/install (or install with the DE) the Display Manager at the time of installing the Desktop Environment. However, if you have not installed/configured the Display Manager, you can do it by Following The Linked Section.
And Ubuntu server looks after the login:
Let’s find more resource-friendly desktop environments.
How to Install LXDE on the Ubuntu Server?
Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE) is one of the resource-efficient yet fast DEs for Linux-based systems. LXDE came as the default Desktop environment for Lubuntu. It was replaced with LXQt after Lubuntu 18.04 LTS. However, the LXDE is still supported and known for its resource-efficient performance.
Minimum/Recommended System Requirements for LXDE:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended/Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 512MB | 1GB |
| CPU | 800MHz | 1GHz |
| HD Space | 5GB | 10GB |
Installation Commands for LXDE:
| sudo apt install lxde #Standard sudo apt install task-lxde-desktop #Full |
|---|
Note: Follow This Section to Configure Display Manager, if required.
How to Install XFCE on the Ubuntu Server?
XFCE competes with other DEs because of its resource efficiency. XFCE is the default DE of the Xubuntu. However, it can be installed on the Ubuntu server through the apt and the tasksel.
Minimum/Recommended System Requirements for LXDE:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended/Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 512MB | 1GB |
| CPU | 1GHZ | 1.5GHz |
| HD Space | Upto 7.5GB | Upto 10GB |
Installation Commands:
sudo apt install xfce4 #Standard sudo apt install task-xfce-desktop #Full sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop #Convert it Into Xubuntu
Note: Follow This Section to Configure Display Manager, if required.
How to Install KDE-Plasma on the Ubuntu Server?
KDE-Plasma is the default DE of Kubuntu and has a modern GUI like other trending DEs. It offers multiple variants of the Desktop version that can be installed as per the hardware/system specifications. Let’s go through the system requirements and the installation commands:
Minimum/Recommended System Requirements for KDE:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended/Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 1GB-2GB | 4GB |
| CPU | 1GHz | 1.5GHZ |
| HD Space | Upto 10GB | Upto 25GB |
Installation Commands:
sudo apt install kde-plasma-desktop #Minimal
sudo apt install kde-standard #Standard
sudo apt install kde-full #Full
sudo apt install task-kde-desktop #Full
sudo apt install kubuntu-desktop #Convert to Kubuntu
Note: Follow This Section to Configure Display Manager, if required.
How to Install MATE on the Ubuntu Server?
Like others, MATE is also an actively developed project to meet modern-era requirements. Thefeatures are continuously added which makes it the trending DE for Ubuntu and other Linux users.
Minimum/Recommended System Requirements for MATE:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended/Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 1GB | 4GB |
| CPU | Core 2 Duo | Core i3 |
| HD Space | Upto 8GB | Upto 16GB |
Installation Commands:
sudo apt install mate #Minimal sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-desktop #Full sudo apt install task-mate-desktop #Full
Note: Follow This Section to Configure Display Manager, if required.
How to Install Cinnamon on the Ubuntu Server?
Cinnamon is one of the leading traditional DEs yet provides modern/attractive features. Cinnamon is usually foreseen with the Linux Mint. However, it could be a good resource-friendly pick for the Ubuntu server:
Minimum/Recommended System Requirements for Cinnamon:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended/Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 2-4GB | 8GB |
| CPU | 1.5GHZ | 2GHz or More |
| HD Space | Upto 10GB | Upto 25GB |
Installation Commands for Cinnamon:
| sudo apt install cinnamon #Minimal sudo apt install cinnamon-desktop-environment #Full sudo apt install task-cinnamon-desktop #Full |
|---|
Note: Follow This Section to Configure Display Manager, if required.
How to Install LXQt on the Ubuntu Server?
LXQt is the combination of LXDE and Qt (a cross-platform utility that creates the GUIs). It was designed with the aim of being resource-friendly and incorporating modern features. That’s the reason it has replaced LXDE as a default DE for Lubuntu.
Minimum/Recommended System Requirements for LXQt:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended/Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 512MB | 1GB |
| CPU | 1GHz | 2GHz |
| HD Space | 5GB | 10-25GB |
Installation Commands:
sudo apt install lxqt #Standard sudo apt install task-lxqt-desktop #Full sudo apt install lubuntu-desktop #Convert it into Lubuntu
Note: Follow This Section to Configure Display Manager, if required.
How to Install/Configure the Display Manager on Ubuntu Server?
In Ubuntu/Linux, the display or the login manager leads (a gateway) the user to the desktop environment. By just installing the Desktop Environment, you cannot ensure that you will be able to use /login to that environment or not. Commonly used DMs are gdm3, slim, lightdm, and sddm. You can install any of these using the syntax:
sudo apt install <Name-of-DM>
If you have multiple display managers installed, you can configure them (use/switch between Display Managers) via the command:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure <Name-of-DM>
How to Remove/Uninstall the GUI (Desktop Environment) From Ubuntu Server?
As discussed, you must have to install the Desktop Environment (DE) to enable GUI access on the Ubuntu server. Now, if you want to get back to the server’s default interface, which is the command line, you have to remove the specific DE that you have installed and the Display Manager (DM) too.
Let’s see how:
sudo apt autoremove <Package1> <Package2>
Replace the <Package1>, and <Package2> with the DE/DM that you want to remove. Or you can use two separate commands as well.
Bottom Line
Choosing a Desktop Environment depends upon the user’s requirements. If the purpose is to get the least-resource-consuming environment then you might have to compromise the additional features/modern looks.
If your server can accept a bit of load, GNOME would be the best pick because of its modern looks and its pre-installed useful utilities. Hence, it all depends on what to compromise and what to choose. We have provided the commands and the resource consumption of the 7 best desktop environments for your Ubuntu server.
