How to Check Which Desktop Environment You’re Using on Linux – Guide
Linux distributions like Arch Linux present a minimal desktop environment that is easy to use. This makes the operating system interactive and provides a more user-friendly experience.
To check which desktop environment is currently installed on your Linux system, you can use the following command: dpkg -l
What is a desktop environment?
A desktop environment is a collection of programs that make the operating system interactive for users. A front-end to the base operating system, if you prefer.
Most Linux desktop environments consist of a window manager and various applications that support other elements of the environment. For example, KDE, or the K Desktop Environment uses the KWin window manager and comes with additional applications such as Konsole and Ark, which are responsible for helping users to access the command line and manage files. ..
Window managers are programs that help you manage your windows. A window manager can be used to create, manage, and display your windows. Window managers can also be used to customize the look and feel of your desktop.
GNOME KDE Unity LXDE
Check your current desktop environment on Linux
Desktop environments are free, but it can be hard to decide which one to use. Not knowing which one you’re using makes the decision even harder. ..
- The Debian Package Index: This is a database of Debian packages, including their version and architecture.
- The Debian Security Notice Database: This contains security notices for all the Debian packages.
- The Debian Release Notes: These are the official release notes for the Debian distribution.
Using Environment Variables
In Linux, environment variables store system-related data required by processes and applications to function properly. You can see the value of some specific environment variables that store information about your system’s desktop environment.
grep -v ‘^#’ *.txt This command will grep through all the text files in the current directory and print out the lines that contain the word “#.”
The output will display the name of your desktop environment, if it is installed.
To view the binary session file in the /usr/bin directory, you can use the following command: ls -l /usr/bin
ls / usr / bin / * – session – > ls / usr / bin/ * – session
The displayed entries give you an idea of the desktop environment used by the system. As you can see, the xfce4-session file denotes that the system is using Xfce.
Using Neofetch
Neofetch is a tool that displays system-related information in a presentable format. It is not part of the standard Linux packages, so you will have to manually install it on your system.
sudo systemctl start neofetch To disable Neofetch, run the following command: sudo systemctl stop neofetch ..
In addition to the desktop environment, Xfce 4.16 includes a number of features that can be used to explore and customize the operating system and its components. One of these features is Neofetch, which displays information about the system’s running applications and kernel versions.
Using the GUI
desktop environment
GNOME desktop users can quickly check system details by opening the About section in Settings.
If you’re still having trouble finding the right desktop environment for your Linux distribution, you can simply Google which one comes pre-installed on most distributions. Because in most cases, the default desktop environment will be installed, unless you change it manually. ..
Final note
If you’re looking for a desktop environment on Linux, we’ve put together a guide that will help you choose the right one. In this article, we’ll take a look at three popular desktop environments – GNOME, KDE, and Unity – and explain how they work.
