{"id":45526,"date":"2024-02-13T12:41:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T12:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/?p=45526"},"modified":"2024-02-13T14:02:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T14:02:18","slug":"gnome-classic-ubuntu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-ubuntu\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Classic GNOME 2 Session in Ubuntu 22.04 &#038; 24.04"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gnome-logo-dark.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-44710\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gnome-logo-dark-250x250.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gnome-logo-dark-250x250.webp 250w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gnome-logo-dark-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gnome-logo-dark-600x600.webp 600w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gnome-logo-dark-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gnome-logo-dark.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This simple tutorial shows how to install and enable the <i>Classic Gnome 2 style desktop<\/i> session in Ubuntu 22.04 and\/or Ubuntu 24.04.<\/p>\n<p>Though the title said for Ubuntu, this tutorial also works in Debian 12 &amp; 11. Fedora, Arch, and their based systems also have corresponding packages for the similar job.<\/p>\n<p>As far as I know, there are 3 ways to get back the classic Gnome 2 layout. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Option 1: <code>gnome-flashback<\/code> -traditional desktop session based on GNOME technologies.<\/li>\n<li>Option 2: <code>gnome-shell-extensions<\/code> &#8211; Classic Gnome 2 layout through some Gnome Shell extensions.<\/li>\n<li>Option 3: <code>MATE Desktop<\/code> &#8211; a free open-source fork and continuation of Gnome 2 Desktop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Option 1: Gnome Flashback<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-menu.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45527\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-menu-700x395.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-menu-700x395.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-menu-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-menu-768x434.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-menu-1320x745.webp 1320w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-menu.webp 1360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wiki.gnome.org\/Projects\/GnomeFlashback\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gnome Flashback<\/a>, formerly &#8220;GNOME Fallback&#8221;, is a session for GNOME 3, which provides GNOME 2 style user experience. The development currently lags behind a little, but it just works in current Ubuntu &amp; Debian systems.<\/p>\n<p>As you see in the screenshot above, it provides the classic multi-level drop-down applications menu and &#8216;Places&#8217; menu to quickly access user folders (e.g., Documents, Downloads, Music, and more).<\/p>\n<p>The system tray indicators and bottom task bar are all the classic Gnome 2 style. And, user can use <b>alt + right-click<\/b> on panel to open the menu to add\/remove items to panel, access panel properties, and more.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-darkpanel.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45528\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-darkpanel-700x395.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-darkpanel-700x395.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-darkpanel-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-darkpanel-768x434.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-darkpanel-1320x745.webp 1320w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome2-style-darkpanel.webp 1360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It does not use 3D acceleration at all, so it is generally faster and less CPU intensive than GNOME Shell.<\/p>\n<p><b>However, the Gnome Flashback session is NOT well working in dark mode.<\/b> Both panels can be switched to dark color, but the indicator applets on them are always light that&#8217;s not looking good.<\/p>\n<p><b>To install Gnome Flashback<\/b>, simply press <code>Ctrl+Alt+T<\/code> on keyboard to open terminal, then run command:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt install gnome-session-flashback<\/pre>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnome-session-flashback.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45529\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnome-session-flashback-700x407.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnome-session-flashback-700x407.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnome-session-flashback-300x174.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnome-session-flashback-768x447.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnome-session-flashback.webp 829w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After installation, log out (or restart if need). Click your user in login screen, click the bottom right gear button and choose &#8220;<code>GNOME Flashback (Metacity)<\/code>&#8220;, finally type user password to login.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-flashback-session.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45531\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-flashback-session-700x438.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-flashback-session-700x438.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-flashback-session-300x188.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-flashback-session-768x480.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-flashback-session.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Uninstall Gnome Flashback<\/h4>\n<p>To uninstall this traditional desktop session, simply open terminal (<code>Ctrl+Alt+T<\/code>) and run command:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt remove --autoremove gnome-session-flashback gnome-flashback<\/pre>\n<h3>Option 2: Gnome Shell Extensions<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-modern.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45532\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-modern-700x395.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-modern-700x395.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-modern-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-modern-768x434.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-modern-1320x745.webp 1320w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-modern.webp 1360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, etc Linux contain a <code>gnome-shell-extensions<\/code> package in system repositories. Which, provides GNOME 2 style layout through extensions.<\/p>\n<p>As you can see in the screenshot above, The modern Applications and Places menu, bottom task bar window lists, and workspace indicator are <b>all implemented by Gnome Shell extensions.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The clock and system tray menus are totally same to the ones in current Gnome Shell. And, there&#8217;s an overview screen to manage all opened app windows.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-overview.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45533\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-overview-700x395.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-overview-700x395.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-overview-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-overview-768x434.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-overview-1320x745.webp 1320w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-overview.webp 1360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Gnome Classic mode implemented by extensions support both <code>Xorg<\/code> and <code>Wayland<\/code> sessions.<\/p>\n<p>However, the dark panel mode does not play well with built-in themes. You can try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gnome-look.org\/browse?cat=134&amp;ord=latest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">third-party themes<\/a> after enabled &#8220;User Themes&#8221; extension and use Gnome Tweaks to switch Shell theme under <code>appearance<\/code> tab.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-sessions.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45534\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-sessions-700x525.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-sessions-700x525.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-sessions-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-sessions-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/gnome-classic-sessions.webp 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>To enable Gnome Classic Mode<\/b> via extensions, press <code>Ctrl+Alt+T<\/code> on keyboard to open terminal, then run command:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions<\/pre>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnomeshellextensions-jammy.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45535\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnomeshellextensions-jammy-700x369.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnomeshellextensions-jammy-700x369.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnomeshellextensions-jammy-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-gnomeshellextensions-jammy.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then, log out and choose login with either <code>GNOME Classic<\/code> (Wayland) or <code>GNOME Classic on Xorg<\/code> session after selecting user account.<\/p>\n<h4>Uninstall:<\/h4>\n<p>To remove the classic session through extensions, simply open terminal and run command:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt remove --autoremove gnome-shell-extensions<\/pre>\n<h3>Option 3: Get Gnome Classic layout through MATE<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-2204-desktop.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45536\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-2204-desktop-700x438.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-2204-desktop-700x438.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-2204-desktop-300x188.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-2204-desktop-768x480.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-2204-desktop.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For long time use, MATE desktop can be the best choice to get the classic GNOME 2 layout. Since, it&#8217;s lightweight, well integrated, and has friendly community support.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a free open-source desktop forked from GNOME 2, includes its own set of core apps forked from Gnome core apps. MATE fully supports the GTK-3 framework, and works great in dark mode.<\/p>\n<p>Many Linux, including Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora, Arch, and more, support MATE as optional desktop environment.\u00a0 <b>Ubuntu user can download <a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntu-mate.org\/download\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ubuntu MATE<\/a> and install it on your machine to get the desktop.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Without re-installing a new system, you can install MATE in Ubuntu, by running command (press <code>Ctrl+Alt+T<\/code> to open terminal):<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt install mate-desktop-environment<\/pre>\n<p>For Ubuntu 22.04, also install <code>ayatana-indicator-*<\/code> package for no indicator issue.<br \/>\n<b>NOTE: It&#8217;s HIGHLY recommended to copy all the package names it&#8217;s going to install from the terminal window. In case you want to uninstall the MATE desktop later.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-mate-environ.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45538\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-mate-environ-700x465.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-mate-environ-700x465.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-mate-environ-300x199.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-mate-environ-768x510.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/apt-mate-environ.webp 1209w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Finally, restart your computer and choose &#8220;MATE&#8221; session from the login screen.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-session.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45537\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-session-700x438.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-session-700x438.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-session-300x188.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-session-768x480.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mate-session.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Uninstall MATE Desktop<\/h4>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve made a copy of all the installed package names when installing MATE, then run <code>sudo apt remove --autoremove<\/code> command plus all the package names to remove the desktop.<\/p>\n<p>If not, try running the command below in terminal instead:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt remove --autoremove mate-desktop libcaja-extension* ayatana-indicator-common libmate-panel-applet*<\/pre>\n<p>The command should remove the most packages for MATE Desktop environment. But, you need to keep an eye on terminal output before hitting &#8216;<b>y<\/b>&#8216; to start uninstalling process, since it may also uninstall some useful packages.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This simple tutorial shows how to install and enable the Classic Gnome 2 style desktop session in Ubuntu 22.04 and\/or Ubuntu 24.04. Though the title said for Ubuntu, this tutorial also works in Debian 12 &amp; 11. Fedora, Arch, and their based systems also have corresponding packages for the similar job. As far as I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2150,689,514],"class_list":["post-45526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-howtos","tag-enable-gnome-classic-in-debian","tag-gnome","tag-gnome-classic"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}