LXQt is a free desktop environment known for being lightweight, fast, and energy-efficient, which can replace the standard default GNOME Desktop on your Debian system, which can be desired for users with low-powered computers and laptops, and netbooks.
LXQt has had a colorful history of merging and then splitting with the LXDE project in 2013 and 2018. However, both projects are of a high standard in sharing similar approaches regarding being more efficient than the major players such as GNOME and KDE.
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install LXQt Desktop Environment on Debian 11 Bullseye.
Update System
Update your Debian operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -yInstall LXQt
By default, LXQt comes in Debian repositories, making the installation relatively easy. The desktop environment is lightweight, the download and installation is swift compared to some available alternatives.
To install LXQt, begin by using the following command.
sudo apt install task-lxqt-desktop -yDuring the installation, you will see the “Configuring sddm.” LXQt is recommended to run on using sddm. To proceed, press the TAB KEY to select <Ok> and hit the ENTER KEY.
Example:
Once complete, reboot your system, which can be done by typing the following directly into your terminal.
sudo rebootSwitching Default Display Managers
Alternatively, in the future, if you want to change the default display manager back to GDM3 to use GNOME, you can re-run this pop-up using the following command.
sudo dpkg-reconfigure sddmMake sure to reboot if you are going from LXQt back to GNOME and vice versa in the future.
First Look at LXQt
Once you have restarted your desktop, you will arrive at your login screen.
DO NOT LOG IN STRAIGHT AWAY.
First, you need to verify the desktop environment. This is done by clicking the configuration button, which is now located in the top left-hand corner.
Next, select “LXQt” instead of the default “GNOME (Wayland).”
Example (Click Image Expand):
Once logged in, you will notice quite a few UI changes besides the apparent color and background changes. The taskbar is now similar to a more windows type of taskbar, along with more integrations in the top left-hand and right-hand corner of services where the time display is.
Example (Click Image Expand):
To confirm the installation, a handy package to install is Neofetch which is featured in Debian’s repositories.
To install this package, use the following command in your terminal.
sudo apt install neofetch -yOnce installed, run the following command in your terminal.
neofetchExample output (Click Image Expand):
And that is it, and you have successfully installed the LXQt desktop environment.
How to Update LXQt Desktop Packages
Run the standard apt update && upgrade commands for future updates for the desktop environment and any default APT packages.
sudo apt updateWhen updates are available, run the standard upgrade command as you would with any other apt package.
sudo apt upgradeComments and Conclusion
In the tutorial, you have learned how to install the LXQt desktop environment on your Debian 11 Bullseye.
Ideally, you can install this package and switch around depending on your mood if you have a decent system. If you prefer desktop jumping, it’s worth checking out if the looks appeal to you. If unsure, I would suggest installing a VM first, then on your main machine, unless you are a severe Linux distro hopper that doesn’t care about re-installing operating systems over and over.