Multiple Linux Desktop Environments: Can You Run Them?

Yes, you can run multiple Linux desktop environments on one system, and many users do it regularly. You install each environment as a set of packages, then pick which one to start at the login screen. This gives you the flexibility to switch between, say, GNOME and KDE Plasma without reinstalling your operating system.

What a Desktop Environment Actually Is

A desktop environment (DE) is a bundle of software that provides the graphical interface you interact with: the window manager, panels or docks, system settings, file manager, and often a set of default applications. Examples include GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, LXQt, Cinnamon, and MATE. Each DE has its own look, workflow, and resource usage. Because they are just collections of user-space programs running on top of the Linux kernel and display server (X11 or Wayland), nothing stops you from having several installed at once.

How It Works: Sessions and Login Managers

When you install multiple DEs, each one registers itself as a session. Your display manager—the login screen—reads the list of available sessions and lets you choose one before you log in. Common display managers include GDM (used by GNOME), SDDM (often used by KDE), and LightDM. After you select a session and log in, that DE starts and runs independently of the others.

Important detail: you can have more than one DE installed, but only one runs at a time per user session. If you want to run two simultaneously in different virtual terminals, you can do that too (start one on tty1 and another on tty2), but that is unusual and not what most people mean by “running multiple DEs.� The typical setup is: choose at login, use one, log out, choose another.

Why You Might Want Multiple DEs

People install multiple DEs for several practical reasons:

Testing and evaluation: You want to try a new DE without committing to a full reinstall.
Different hardware needs: Use a lightweight DE like Xfce on an old laptop, and a full-featured one like KDE on your desktop.
Workflow variety: Some tasks are easier with a tiling window manager, others with a traditional desktop.
Recovery or troubleshooting: If your main DE breaks, you can log in with a fallback environment and fix it.
Learning and curiosity: Exploring how different DEs work is a common way to learn Linux.

How to Install Multiple DEs (General Steps)

The exact commands depend on your distribution, but the pattern is the same:

Update your package list: sudo apt update on Debian/Ubuntu, sudo dnf check-update on Fedora, etc.
Install the DE package group: For example, on Ubuntu you might run sudo apt install kubuntu-desktop to get KDE Plasma, or sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop for Xfce. On Fedora, sudo dnf group install "KDE Plasma Workspaces".
Restart your display manager: Log out and at the login screen, look for a session or gear icon. Select the new DE from the list.
Log in: The selected DE will start. Your personal files and installed applications remain available in both DEs.

You don’t have to uninstall the old DE. The system keeps both, and you can switch back anytime.

How to Choose Which DE to Use

Your choice should depend on your hardware and your taste. Here is a rough guide:

GNOME: Modern, touch-friendly, minimal. Uses more RAM (around 1–2 GB idle). Good for recent hardware and users who like a clean, focused workflow.
KDE Plasma: Highly customizable, feature-rich, visually polished. RAM usage is moderate (about 1 GB idle) and it can be tuned to be lighter.
Xfce: Lightweight and traditional. Idle RAM is around 400–600 MB. Great for older machines and users who prefer a classic desktop.
LXQt: Even lighter than Xfce, around 300–500 MB idle. Minimal and fast.
Cinnamon: A traditional desktop with a modern feel, developed by the Linux Mint team. Moderate RAM usage (~700 MB idle).
MATE: A continuation of GNOME 2’s classic interface. Lightweight, around 500–700 MB idle.

These are rough numbers—actual usage varies with your hardware and what you run. The key is to try a few and see which feels right.

Common Problems and How to Avoid Them

Running multiple DEs is generally safe, but there are a few pitfalls:

Duplicate applications: You will see multiple text editors, file managers, and terminal emulators in your application menu. That is normal—each DE brings its own set. You can install only the DE core and keep your preferred apps, but that takes more manual work.
Settings conflicts: Some settings are stored in files that multiple DEs might read (e.g., GTK theme files). If one DE changes a shared setting, another might look different. Usually this is minor and fixable by adjusting each DE’s own settings.
Display manager issues: If you install a new DE that brings its own display manager, your system might switch to it automatically. You can change the default display manager with a tool like update-alternatives on Debian/Ubuntu.
Resource usage: Having many DEs installed does not slow down your system when you are not using them—they are just files on disk. Only the active DE consumes RAM and CPU.
Wayland vs. Xorg: Some DEs (like GNOME) work best on Wayland, others (like Xfce) still default to Xorg. You may need to select the correct session type at login if you have issues with screen sharing or graphics drivers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will having multiple DEs slow down my computer?

No, not when you are only using one at a time. The other DEs are just installed packages; they are not running in the background. The only cost is disk space (each DE is roughly 1–3 GB) and the time it takes to update packages.

Can I switch DEs without logging out?

No, you need to log out of your current session and log back in with the other DE. There is no supported way to hot-swap a running desktop environment. Some users use a tiling window manager inside a DE, but that is a different thing—you are not switching the whole DE.

Will my personal files and settings be shared between DEs?

Yes, your home directory is shared. Your documents, downloads, and installed applications are visible in all DEs. However, each DE stores its own configuration files (e.g., ~/.config/gnome-shell vs. ~/.config/plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc), so your desktop layout and theme settings are not shared—they are per-DE.

Can I have two DEs installed on Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch?

Yes. Ubuntu offers “flavors� (Kubuntu, Xubuntu, etc.) that you can install alongside the main edition. Fedora has “spins� that you can add via dnf group install. Arch has packages for every major DE. The process is slightly different on each distro, but the principle is the same: install the DE packages, then choose at login.

Is it safe to remove a DE later?

Yes, but be careful. You can uninstall the DE packages with your package manager. The risk is accidentally removing packages that other software depends on. A safer approach is to use your distribution’s meta-package (e.g., kubuntu-desktop) to remove the whole group cleanly. Always check what will be removed before confirming.

Which DE is the most stable for daily use?

All major DEs are stable for daily use; “stable� is subjective. GNOME and KDE Plasma are very mature and widely used. Xfce is known for being rock-solid and lightweight. The best choice is the one that runs well on your hardware and that you enjoy using. Try a few and see which one you stop noticing—that is the one for you.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →