How to Install Latest LXQt Desktop in Ubuntu and Fedora

LXQt developed from popular components of LXDE and Razor Qt project, LXQt is a free, open-source, lightweight, and fast desktop environment for Linux and BSD distributions. It comes with several great and well-known features, borrowed from the LXDE desktop such as low system resource utilization and elegant and clean user interfaces.

Additionally, one of its distinguished properties is the high level of customization to meet desktop usability needs. The default desktop environment on Knoppix, Lubuntu, and a few other less-known Linux distributions has been the default desktop environment.

[ You might also like: 13 Open Source Linux Desktop Environments of All Time ]

Note: LXQt was initially supposed to become the successor of LXDE, however, as of now, both desktop environments will keep coexisting for the meantime and importantly, more development activity is being directed towards LXQt than LXDE.

LXQt Desktop Features

Below are a few of its significant components and additional features:

  1. pcmanfm-qt file manager, a Qt port for PCManFM and libfm
  2. lxterminal, a terminal emulator
  3. lxsession session manager
  4. lxqt-runner, a quick application launcher
  5. Ships in with an integrated energy-saving component
  6. Supports several international languages
  7. Supports several keyboard shortcuts together with many other minor features

The latest version of this relatively new desktop environment is LXQt 0.17.0, which has come with several improvements as listed below:

  • Packages built against Qt 5.11.
  • Enhanced libfm-qt file manager.
  • qps and screengrab now under the LXQt umbrella.
  • Menu-related memory leak fixes.
  • Improved LXQtCompilerSettings.
  • New lxqt-themes component.
  • Improved ending session for shutdown/reboot and lots more.

How to Install LXQt Desktop on Ubuntu Linux

Although the latest LXQt version is not available from the default Ubuntu repos, the easiest way to try the latest LXQt desktop version in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is to use the following command.

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt install lxqt sddm

After the installation is complete, you can log out of your current session or restart the system. Then choose LXQt desktop at the login interface as shown in the image below:

Select LXQt Desktop at Ubuntu Login
Select LXQt Desktop at Ubuntu Login
Running LXQt Desktop in Ubuntu 18.04LXQt Desktop in Ubuntu 16.04
Running LXQt Desktop in Ubuntu 18.04

Install LXQt Desktop in Fedora Linux

From Fedora 22 onwards, LXQt packages are included in default Fedora repositories and can be installed using yum or dnf as shown.

# dnf install @lxqt

After installing, log out from the current session and login back in with the LXQt session as shown.

Select LXQt at Fedora Login
Select LXQt at Fedora Login

From the following screenshot, the official Fedora repositories still have LXQT 0.16.0.

Running LXQT Desktop in Fedora
Running LXQT Desktop in Fedora

How to Remove LXQt Desktop on Ubuntu and Fedora

If you don’t want the LXQt desktop on your system anymore, use the command below to remove it:

-------------------- On Ubuntu -------------------- 
$ sudo apt purge lxqt sddm
$ sudo apt autoremove

-------------------- On Fedora -------------------- 
# dnf remove @lxqt

That is all for now, for any feedback or suggestions that you wish to bring to our attention, use the comment section below for that purpose and always remember to stay connected to Tecmint.

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Ravi Saive
I am an experienced GNU/Linux expert and a full-stack software developer with over a decade in the field of Linux and Open Source technologies

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