How to Install Unity Desktop on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Installing Unity Desktop on Ubuntu uses the default repositories, but Unity is no longer a small add-on to a stock GNOME desktop. On Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, the standard install pulls in a large desktop stack and can replace the PipeWire audio metapackages with PulseAudio packages, so review APT’s removal summary before confirming.

Unity Desktop can sit alongside the default GNOME session on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04, with the login screen choosing which desktop starts. Ubuntu 26.04 uses the resolute/universe package and starts Unity through /usr/share/xsessions/unity.desktop when LightDM is selected.

Install Unity Desktop on Ubuntu

Choose a Unity Installation Profile

Unity has three practical install profiles. The standard profile is the best starting point for a daily desktop, while the minimal profile is better for testing. The complete profile installs suggested packages and is usually too broad for normal desktop use.

Profile	Package or Flag	What It Adds	Best For	Trade-offs
Standard (Recommended)	ubuntu-unity-desktop	Unity session, LightDM, Unity Greeter, recommended apps, and desktop integration packages	Most users who want a complete Unity desktop	Large transaction; Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 can remove pipewire-audio and pipewire-alsa because Unity depends on PulseAudio
Minimal	--no-install-recommends	Core Unity session packages with fewer recommended desktop applications	Testing, VM checks, or smaller installations	Still installs LightDM, Unity, and PulseAudio; some desktop tools may be missing until installed manually
Complete	--install-suggests	Dependencies, recommended packages, and suggested packages from the Unity metapackage	Lab systems that intentionally need the broadest package set	Can install thousands of extra packages, including server and media tools most desktops do not need

For most users, the Standard profile is the most predictable starting point because it installs the supported Unity metapackage and the pieces needed for a normal login session. Use the Minimal profile only when you are comfortable adding missing applications later, and avoid the Complete profile unless you have reviewed the full APT transaction.

Update Ubuntu Before Installation

Refresh APT metadata and apply pending updates before installing a full desktop environment. This reduces resolver surprises from stale package indexes or partially upgraded GNOME components.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Install Required Dependencies (Ubuntu 22.04 Only)

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS requires one additional package for Unity to function correctly at login. This step is only necessary for Ubuntu 22.04 users because Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 include this dependency automatically.

sudo apt install dbus-x11

If you are running Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04 LTS, skip this step. The dbus-x11 package is included as a dependency of the Unity desktop package on these versions and will be installed automatically.

Option 1: Install Unity Desktop (Standard)

The standard installation provides the recommended Unity experience with the Unity session, LightDM, Unity Greeter, Compiz, indicators, desktop applications, and integration packages. Read APT’s transaction summary before confirming, especially on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 where APT can remove PipeWire audio metapackages to satisfy Unity’s PulseAudio dependency.

sudo apt install ubuntu-unity-desktop

If the transaction lists pipewire-audio and pipewire-alsa under removed packages, that is the current resolver path on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 when Unity pulls in pulseaudio. Cancel with n if you do not want APT to change the desktop audio stack.

Option 2: Install Unity Desktop (Minimal)

The minimal installation includes only the essential components needed to run Unity. This option works well for testing the desktop environment, running on older hardware, or when disk space is limited.

sudo apt install ubuntu-unity-desktop --no-install-recommends

The --no-install-recommends flag instructs APT to skip recommended packages that are useful but not strict dependencies. As a result, you may need to install additional applications manually if certain desktop tools are missing.

Option 3: Install Unity Desktop (Complete)

The complete installation includes every package suggested by the Unity metapackage. This is rarely appropriate on a personal desktop because suggested packages can expand the transaction into thousands of packages.

sudo apt install ubuntu-unity-desktop --install-suggests

Use the Complete profile only after reading the full APT summary. On Ubuntu 26.04, a simulated complete transaction included thousands of packages, while the standard and minimal profiles were much narrower.

Select Your Display Manager

During installation, a prompt may ask you to choose a default display manager. The display manager controls the graphical login screen and starts the selected desktop session. Systems that already use GNOME normally show gdm3 and lightdm as choices after LightDM is installed.

Select lightdm for the most consistent Unity experience. LightDM starts the Unity Greeter login screen and exposes the Unity X11 session cleanly. GDM3 may still list Unity after the session file is installed, but LightDM is the better default when Unity is the desktop you plan to use.

Use the arrow keys to highlight your choice, then press Tab to select OK and press Enter. You can change the display-manager service later if the prompt does not appear or if the selected login screen does not start Unity correctly.

Reboot to Complete Installation

After the installation completes, reboot your system to activate the new display manager and make Unity available as a session option.

sudo reboot

Log In to Unity Desktop

After your system restarts, you will arrive at the login screen. Before entering your password, you need to select the Unity session. Look for a small gear or session icon near the password field or in the corner of the login screen.

Click the session selector and choose Unity from the available options. Your selection will be remembered for future logins, so you only need to do this once unless you want to switch back to GNOME.

Once logged in, you will see the distinctive Unity interface with its vertical launcher on the left side of the screen. The Dash (activated by pressing the Super key or clicking the Ubuntu logo) provides unified search across applications, files, and online sources.

Verify Unity Installation

After logging into Unity, verify the active desktop session from a terminal. Press Ctrl+Alt+T or open Terminal from the Dash, then print the current desktop environment value.

echo "$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP"

Expect a Unity-related value rather than a generic GNOME value. A verified Ubuntu 26.04 LightDM Unity session returned this output.

Unity:Unity7:ubuntu

Verify the display manager through systemd rather than relying only on legacy display-manager files. The systemctl command examples explain active and enabled service states if you want more detail while comparing display-manager output.

systemctl status display-manager --no-pager

If LightDM is active, the status output begins with lines similar to this.

lightdm.service - Light Display Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/lightdm.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) ...

Manage Desktop Environments

Switch Between Unity and GNOME

Both Unity and GNOME remain available on your system after installation. To switch between them, log out of your current session (click your username in the top-right corner and select “Log Out”), then select a different session from the login screen before entering your password.

This approach allows you to try both environments and decide which one suits your workflow without making permanent changes. Each session remembers its own settings independently.

Switch Display Managers

If you want to change your default display manager, first reopen the Debian display-manager selection prompt. This is useful when you selected the wrong option during installation or when the login screen does not match the desktop you want to use.

sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm

Use the arrow keys to select your preferred display manager, then press Tab and Enter to confirm. If the prompt does not change the active systemd display-manager service, enable the preferred service directly before rebooting.

sudo systemctl enable lightdm --force
sudo reboot

To switch back to the GNOME login screen, enable GDM3 instead.

sudo systemctl enable gdm3 --force
sudo reboot

Check the active display-manager target after the reboot. On systemd-based Ubuntu releases, the service symlink is the reliable proof of the active display manager.

readlink -f /etc/systemd/system/display-manager.service

/usr/lib/systemd/system/lightdm.service

Troubleshooting Unity Installation

Unity Session Not Appearing at Login

If you do not see Unity as a session option at the login screen, ensure the installation completed successfully by verifying that the Unity session file exists.

ls /usr/share/xsessions/ | grep -i unity

A successful installation displays session files such as:

unity.desktop

Should no files appear, the installation may have failed. Try reinstalling the package.

sudo apt install --reinstall ubuntu-unity-desktop

Black Screen or Login Loop

If you experience a black screen or login loop when trying to start Unity, the issue often relates to missing session packages, the display manager, or Compiz graphics support. First, switch to a TTY console by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F3, log in with your username and password, and repair the package state.

sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo apt install dbus-x11 unity-session

If the login succeeds but Unity shows crash dialogs, check the user service that owns the Unity shell.

systemctl --user status unity7.service --no-pager

A repeated status=11/SEGV failure points to a Compiz crash. Ubuntu 26.04 can restart Unity automatically after a Compiz crash, but repeated crashes usually mean the graphics stack needs attention. On virtual machines, enable 3D acceleration and install the appropriate guest tools. On NVIDIA systems, verify the driver with the NVIDIA driver installation guide on Ubuntu.

Display Manager Configuration Issues

If the display manager prompt did not appear during installation or the login screen did not change after reconfiguration, check the active systemd display-manager service.

readlink -f /etc/systemd/system/display-manager.service
systemctl status display-manager --no-pager

If the symlink still points to the wrong service, enable the preferred display manager with --force and reboot. The legacy /etc/X11/default-display-manager file can lag behind the systemd service target, so do not use that file as the only proof of the active display manager.

sudo systemctl enable lightdm --force
sudo reboot

Update Unity Desktop

Unity packages installed from Ubuntu’s default repositories update through the normal APT upgrade path. Keep Unity, LightDM, Compiz, and the related desktop packages current with regular system updates.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Review the package summary before confirming large desktop updates, especially on systems where GNOME and Unity share login, audio, or display-manager packages.

Remove Unity Desktop Environment

If you decide to remove Unity, switch your display manager back to GDM3 and log into a GNOME session before removing Unity packages. This avoids removing the active login manager while you are using it.

sudo systemctl enable gdm3 --force
sudo reboot

After rebooting into GNOME, remove the Unity metapackage, session, greeter, and LightDM packages.

sudo apt remove ubuntu-unity-desktop unity unity-session unity-greeter lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter

On Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, restore the default PipeWire audio metapackages if APT removed them during the Unity installation. APT will remove the conflicting PulseAudio packages as part of this transaction.

sudo apt install pipewire-audio pipewire-alsa

Finally, preview orphaned packages before cleaning them up. Do not remove packages blindly if APT lists desktop applications or drivers that you still use.

sudo apt -s autoremove
sudo apt autoremove

The simulated autoremove command lets you review the cleanup list before running the real removal. This is important after desktop-environment installs because recommended applications can overlap with other desktop workflows.

Reinstall GNOME Desktop (If Needed)

In some cases, removing Unity may also remove packages shared with GNOME. If your GNOME session is missing features after removing Unity, reinstall the GNOME desktop package to restore full functionality.

sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop

Next, ensure GDM3 is enabled and running as your display manager.

sudo systemctl enable gdm3 --now

After completing these steps, reboot to apply all changes and return to your standard GNOME experience.

sudo reboot

Conclusion

Unity is installed with a selectable X11 session, LightDM login support, and a clear rollback path if GNOME remains your primary desktop. Keep an eye on APT’s audio-package changes on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, and use the Compiz service check if the first Unity login shows a crash dialog. For other desktop choices, compare KDE Plasma on Ubuntu, XFCE on Ubuntu, or GNOME Flashback on Ubuntu.