Most people who search for this have the same story. They run Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, the stock GNOME session is fine but not quite right, and they want Budgie’s panel, Raven sidebar and applet layout. Back in the 22.04 and 24.04 days, that was a two-line job. You ran apt, picked a session at the login screen and carried on.

26.04 is different, and the difference matters. Budgie 10.10 is the first release series that moved the desktop from X11 to Wayland. The Ubuntu Budgie team ships it as a Wayland-only LTS with labwc as the default compositor, and no Xorg session is provided. If you install Budgie on top of regular Ubuntu expecting an X11 fallback, you won’t get one. Old tutorials that mention Budgie Remix PPAs, X11 sessions or Magpie tweaks are now misleading.

This guide covers the install on a plain Ubuntu 26.04 system, the choices you face along the way (full or minimal, display manager, Wayland quirks) and what to do when something breaks. It also covers the things a sysadmin cares about, like package footprint, memory use, security updates and rollback. It is written for desktops, laptops and the occasional remote workstation. If you manage a fleet or a VDI box, the same logic applies.

What Changed in Budgie 10.10 on 26.04

Understanding the stack saves a lot of debugging later.

Budgie 10.10 is the first series to migrate from X11 to Wayland. Panels, Raven, applets and desktop icons still behave as before, and keyboard shortcuts remain familiar. Upstream recommends a wlroots-based compositor, and the team put special effort into labwc. Budgie is now built around standard Wayland protocols rather than depending on one window manager, so other compositors can work if they implement the required protocols.

Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 LTS ships Budgie Desktop 10.10.2 and is supported for three years by the flavour team. Screen sharing and screenshots go through Wayland portals, and display configuration follows wlroots tooling. Some X11-era workflows behave differently or are gone. The recommended tool for monitors is wdisplays.

There is a hard consequence. A maintainer on the official forum stated that Budgie 10.10 is strictly Wayland via labwc or wayfire, and that all X11 support code has been stripped. Nobody should plan a “just use X11” workaround. If your workflow depends on X11-only tools (some screen recorders, xdotool-style automation, certain remote desktop setups), test before committing a main machine.

Prerequisites

Treat this like any change on a machine you care about. Five minutes of preparation beats an hour of recovery.

Check the release and updates

lsb_release -a
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

You want a fully patched 26.04 system (codename resolute) before adding a desktop. Reboot if a kernel or libc update was applied.

Confirm the universe repository is enabled

Budgie packages live in universe. If it is disabled, apt will complain about missing packages. A long-standing fix is to enable it first:

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update

Check free space and RAM

A full Budgie install pulls in a few hundred megabytes of packages plus applets and default apps. Look at your disk before you start:

df -h /
free -h

Keep at least 5 GB free on the root filesystem. For a desktop session, 4 GB of RAM works, though 8 GB is more comfortable if you use a browser heavily.

Take a snapshot or at least a package list

On a VM, take a snapshot. On bare metal, save your package selection so you can compare later:

dpkg --get-selections > ~/packages-before-budgie.txt

If the machine uses Timeshift or Btrfs snapshots, create one now. Desktop environment swaps rarely break the system, but they do change the default session, display manager and many small settings.

Choosing Your Install Method

There are three realistic paths. The right one depends on what you want to end up with.

The Ubuntu Budgie team documents the metapackages ubuntu-budgie-desktop and ubuntu-budgie-desktop-minimal, combined with budgie-desktop-environment. The package catalog lists budgie-desktop as the desktop package that includes the components required for the Budgie session. The ubuntu-budgie-desktop metapackage is available for resolute (26.04).

In practice, the full metapackage is the safest option. It carries the defaults the Budgie team tests, including the session configuration for labwc. Going bare with budgie-desktop works, but you then own the job of picking a greeter, a file manager, a terminal, a network applet and so on.

Step-by-Step: Install Budgie on Ubuntu 26.04

Step 1: Update the package index

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install the Budgie metapackages

For the full experience:

sudo apt install ubuntu-budgie-desktop budgie-desktop-environment

For the minimal variant:

sudo apt install ubuntu-budgie-desktop-minimal budgie-desktop-environment

Both command forms come straight from the Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 release notes, where they appear as the prerequisite for upgrading. They also work as the install path on a vanilla system, since apt resolves the same dependencies.

Some older guides use the task syntax with a trailing caret, as in sudo apt-get install ubuntu-budgie-desktop^. On current releases the plain package name is what the team documents, so use that.

Step 3: Answer the display manager prompt

During installation, apt may ask which display manager should be the default. This is a real decision.

• If the machine currently runs GDM3 (default Ubuntu Desktop), keeping gdm3 is the lowest-risk option. It already handles Wayland sessions, and you simply gain a new entry in the session list.
• If you choose another greeter such as LightDM, the login screen changes appearance. That is fine, but it adds one more variable if something fails.

A forum user running Budgie on Ubuntu Server for a Raspberry Pi reported success by selecting gdm3 over lightdm. That was an older release, but the principle holds: pick the display manager you have already seen working with Wayland.

You can change the choice later:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm3

To see what is active:

cat /etc/X11/default-display-manager
systemctl status display-manager

Step 4: Reboot

sudo reboot

A reboot is cleaner than logging out. It makes sure the display manager restarts, new session files are read and any updated libraries get loaded.

Step 5: Select the Budgie session

At the login screen, click your username, then the gear icon in the corner, and choose the Budgie Desktop entry. Enter your password. The first start takes a few extra seconds while the compositor, panel and Raven initialise.

Under Wayland the session list will not show an X11 variant for Budgie. If you see only one Budgie entry, that is correct.

Verifying the Install

Once logged in, confirm you are on what you think you are on.

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
echo $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP
loginctl show-session $(loginctl | awk '/'$USER'/ {print $1; exit}') -p Type -p Desktop

The first command should print wayland. The second should reference Budgie. Check package versions with:

apt policy budgie-desktop ubuntu-budgie-desktop

On 26.04 the shipped release is Budgie 10.10.2. A package catalog entry listed ubuntu-budgie-desktop 0.155.1 for resolute at the time of its snapshot, so the exact metapackage number you see may differ as updates land.

Also check the compositor process:

pgrep -a labwc

If labwc is running, the session is wired up the way the team intends.

First-Boot Configuration That Actually Matters

Monitors and scaling

Do not hunt for an X11-style display tool. Upstream recommends pairing Budgie 10.10 with wdisplays for multi-monitor and resolution management. Install it if it is missing:

sudo apt install wdisplays

Laptop users with a docking station should set the layout once, log out, and confirm it persists after reboot. If it does not, check whether another tool (such as a GNOME settings daemon leftover) is competing for control.

Budgie Welcome

The flavour ships a welcome application you can run from the terminal:

budgie-welcome

It is the quickest place to install or remove applets and system monitors, and the community directs people there for exactly that purpose.

Screenshots and screen sharing

Because Wayland blocks the old “any app can grab the screen” model, screenshots and sharing go through portals. Make sure the portal packages are present:

apt list --installed 2>/dev/null | grep xdg-desktop-portal

If sharing in a browser or conferencing app shows a blank window, a missing or mismatched portal backend is the usual cause. This is one of the most common first-week complaints after moving to any Wayland session.

Fonts, themes and the panel layout

Budgie’s strength is its layout flexibility. Right-click the panel to add applets, change position or set transparency. Raven (the side panel) holds notifications and quick settings. Spend ten minutes setting this up once. It is much faster than tweaking later under pressure.

Upgrading From an Existing Ubuntu Budgie System

If you are on 24.04 or 25.10 Budgie and moving to 26.04, be aware that the release notes ask you to ensure the desktop metapackage and budgie-desktop-environment are installed before upgrading:

sudo apt install ubuntu-budgie-desktop budgie-desktop-environment

After the upgrade, one forum thread describes a user left in a half-working state because system monitor applets from the old stack had to be reinstalled. The advice from the community was to reinstall the monitor, with packages available from the backports PPA, and use budgie-welcome to manage it. Applets built for the old X11 stack may need updated versions. Audit your panel after upgrading rather than assuming everything survived.

Optional: Try the Wayfire Session

The default is labwc. The team also built a bridge between Budgie and wayfire, offered through the backports PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntubudgie/backports-budgie
sudo apt install budgie-wayfire-session

Then pick the wayfire session at login. This is experimental territory. Keep labwc as your daily driver until you have tested wayfire on non-critical hardware. Adding any PPA also widens your trust boundary, which matters on managed machines. Only add it if you will actually use it, and remove it afterwards if not:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntubudgie/backports-budgie

Be careful here. Removing a PPA does not automatically downgrade packages that came from it. If you want to revert, use ppa-purge or pin versions manually.

Performance Tuning

Budgie on labwc is lighter than a full GNOME Shell session, but a few habits keep it that way.

CPU and RAM

Check what is running at idle:

ps -eo pid,comm,%mem,%cpu --sort=-%mem | head -15

Install a monitor you trust:

sudo apt install htop btop

Switching from GNOME to Budgie on the same machine often frees a few hundred megabytes at idle, though the actual number depends on extensions, applets and background indexers. Measure with free -h after five minutes of idle time before and after, instead of trusting anecdotes.

Disable startup items you do not need:

ls ~/.config/autostart /etc/xdg/autostart

Tracker-style indexers and cloud sync clients are frequent offenders.

Disk I/O

On spinning disks, an aggressive file indexer makes the desktop feel slow after login. Check I/O with:

sudo apt install iotop sysstat
sudo iotop -oPa
iostat -xz 2

On SSDs, make sure periodic TRIM is active:

systemctl status fstrim.timer
sudo systemctl enable --now fstrim.timer

Memory pressure and swap

Ubuntu uses a swap file by default. On 4 GB machines, zram helps the desktop stay responsive:

sudo apt install zram-tools
sudo systemctl enable --now zramswap.service

Check the effect with swapon --show and zramctl.

Network

Budgie uses NetworkManager for the network applet. If Wi-Fi feels slow after a desktop change, verify power saving and the active connection:

nmcli device status
iw dev wlan0 get power_save

Interface names differ per machine, so confirm yours with ip link.

GPU and graphics

Wayland compositors depend heavily on kernel DRM drivers. With NVIDIA hardware, confirm that the proprietary driver is installed and kernel modesetting is enabled:

ubuntu-drivers devices
sudo ubuntu-drivers install
cat /sys/module/nvidia_drm/parameters/modeset

A result of Y is what you want. If it says N, add nvidia-drm.modeset=1 to your kernel command line through /etc/default/grub and run sudo update-grub. Intel and AMD users on open-source Mesa drivers usually have no extra work.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Problem: Budgie does not appear in the session list

Confirm the packages installed correctly and the session files exist:

dpkg -l | grep -E "budgie-desktop|ubuntu-budgie"
ls /usr/share/wayland-sessions/ /usr/share/xsessions/

If the Wayland session file is missing, reinstall the environment package:

sudo apt install --reinstall budgie-desktop budgie-desktop-environment

The Ubuntu Budgie forum has threads where a plain reinstall of budgie-desktop brought the entry back. Reboot afterwards.

Problem: “Unable to locate package”

Usually a disabled universe component or stale package lists:

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update

Then retry the install.

Problem: Login loops back to the greeter

This means the session starts and dies. Read the journal for the failed boot:

journalctl -b -p warning --no-pager | tail -100
journalctl --user -b --no-pager | tail -100

Look for labwc or budgie-related errors. Frequent causes are a broken GPU driver, a leftover X11-only environment variable set in ~/.profile, or a corrupted user config. Test with a fresh user:

sudo adduser budgietest

If the new user logs in fine, the issue is in your home directory configuration. Move the suspect config aside:

mv ~/.config/budgie-desktop ~/.config/budgie-desktop.bak

Do not delete it until you are sure.

Problem: Panel applets missing or system monitor gone after an upgrade

This was a clear pattern for people upgrading to 26.04. The community response was to reinstall the monitor applet, use the backports PPA package if needed and run budgie-welcome to manage it. Check installed applets:

apt list --installed 2>/dev/null | grep -i budgie

Problem: Screen sharing shows black

Install or restart portal services:

sudo apt install xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal-gtk xdg-desktop-portal-wlr
systemctl --user restart xdg-desktop-portal

Restart the browser afterwards. In Firefox and Chromium-based browsers, PipeWire support must be active, so verify:

systemctl --user status pipewire wireplumber

Problem: An app only works on X11

Many apps run through XWayland. Check if it is available:

pgrep -a Xwayland

If an app truly cannot work, the answer is not to bring X11 back. Budgie 10.10 removed all X11 code, and the team has said they will not build a 10.9 plus Magpie PPA themselves, though a community member could. Choose an alternative app, or stay on GNOME for that machine.

Problem: Multi-monitor layout resets

Use wdisplays, apply the layout and verify across a reboot. If the layout still resets, check for competing display configuration tools.

Problem: Packages held back or conflicts during install

sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo dpkg --configure -a
apt-cache policy ubuntu-budgie-desktop

If the issue involves a PPA, disable it and retry.