How install XFCE and remove gnome on Ubuntu 20.0.4 LTS

unity system-installation xubuntu xfce thunar

5,523

Install xfce4 desktop
```
sudo apt install xfce4
```
Log out.
In the login screen, click your name, a gear icon will appear in the right bottom corner, click it and you can choose the desktop to use.

5,523

Nicholas Bourbaki

engineer, good at fixing computers, some cfd, also using xUbuntu Linux, some mathematics

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Nicholas Bourbaki over 1 year

Was running xUbuntu 18.0.4 LTS and upgraded (re-install via DVD) to Ubuntu 20.0.4. I'd like to get back to the XFCE Desktop as it find gnome unusable for my application. In particular I have a lot of problems with Nautilus but really liked Thunar. These are the File Manager programs.

I attempted to install it (xfce) following an article on Linuxconfig.org which gave the following procedure:

sudo apt install tasksel

sudo tasksel install xubuntu-desktop

This may or may not have installed xfce but it mentions there is then some step to select the desktop to use. Unfortunately I can find no selector anywhere nor do I wish to have go thru the selection process every time I reboot. I am still running "Files" (aka Nautilus) as an app.

Is there any way I can install the XFCE making my system xUbuntu and remove gnome or as much of gnome as is possible? Of course this pertains to Focal Fossa: i.e. Ubuntu 20.0.4. If I have to I can do a new install presuming I can find a xUbuntu 20.0.4 release.
Nicholas Bourbaki over 3 years

Thanks, it worked. I can now get Thunar and see stuff. I was required to upgrade to Flossing Fossil (20.0.4) for work but the upgrade command did'nt work. Thus I had to burn a DVD and do a fresh install. I may not remove Unity quite yet in case I need something for my programs to run.
Nicholas Bourbaki over 3 years

Eventually when things settle down I may just try to burn a xUbuntu 20.0.4 DVD and do a clean install: maybe after installing a bigger boot drive to my laptop. Linux will span multiple disks with a partition so it's more forgiving than Windows in this regard.
Nicholas Bourbaki about 3 years

Actually I apparently installed XFCE over Gnome so am doing a fresh install of 20.04.2 from a bootable DVD. xubuntu20.04 is extremely buggy tho.