How to Install GUI on Ubuntu Server?

The Ubuntu Server is a variant of the standard Ubuntu. It is a tailored version for networks and services. Ubuntu Server is an open-source operating system for IoT devices and Servers. Unlike standard Ubuntu, the Ubuntu server doesn’t have any Graphical User Interface or GUI.

There may be many instances when we wanted to have a GUI on our server. Linux is a highly customizable Operating System. Thus, we have a method to install GUI or the Desktop environment on a Ubuntu Server.

In this article, we are going to discuss, how to do that.

Installation

Step 1: Update Package Information 

Before installing the required packages it is always preferable to collect the latest package information from the repository. The following commands collect the updated list of packages and upgrade them. 

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Below is the terminal shell pictorial depiction after executing the above commands –

Step 2: Install Desktop Environment

After that, you need to install a desktop environment. A desktop environment is a collection of components such as wallpapers, widgets, icons, menus, and toolbar for a Graphical user interface (GUI).  Desktop environments also have their own set of applications such as file explorer, desktop search, and more.

There are plenty of desktop environments are present for the Ubuntu server like GNOME (the default one), KDE plasma, mate-core, Xubuntu, etc.

• GNOME: It is the default desktop environment provided in the standard Ubuntu. It is easy to use and provides dynamic workspaces and a powerful activities overview. 
• KDE plasma: It is another popular desktop environment. It has its own unique design. It provides tons of window effects and shortcuts.
• mate-core: It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop experience similar to Microsoft Windows or Apple’s macOS. It is a very lightweight environment and suitable for machines that aren’t powerful.

Xubuntu is also a lightweight, stable and configurable desktop environment. It works well on older hardware and is efficient for daily tasks. You can choose any one of them as per your choice.

To install the Ubuntu GNOME desktop environment use the following command:

sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop

The installation commands for other desktop environments are given below:

KDE Plasma : 

sudo apt install kde-plasma-desktop

Ubuntu MATE:

sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-core

Xubuntu:

sudo apt install xubuntu-core

Step 3: Install Display Manager

Next, we need to install one display manager to load up the desktop environment session. 

We will use LightDM for that. LightDM is a free and open-source display manager. It is lightweight and supports a multi-desktop environment. LightDM is the default display manager for many Ubuntu-based distros like Xubuntu, Linux Mint, etc.

To install LightDM, use the following command –

sudo apt install lightdm

After it is installed, it will ask to set up the default Desktop Manager. Choose LightDM and proceed.

Step 4: Start Display Manager Service

After LightDM is successfully installed, we need to enable the LightDM service.

To do so, run the following command –

sudo systemctl start lightdm.service

After enabling LightDM service, add it to the service utility, so that it automatically starts every time the system boot up. To do so, use the following command –

sudo service lightdm start

Now your Desktop environment will be visible on the server.

By any chance, if you want to go back to the CLI experience and revert all the changes, then use the following set of commands –

sudo apt autoremove ubuntu-desktop
sudo systemctl stop lightdm.service
sudo apt autoremove lightdm