Gnoblin

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Debian and Ubuntu ​

Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and Ubuntu 26.04 LTS have APT package candidates for Intel and AMD 64-bit PCs. They pass package build, clean installation, stock GNOME coexistence and removal checks, but do not yet have a verified graphical Gnoblin login. Keep GNOME or another session available. See platform support for the release status.

1. Add the archive key ​

Open a terminal and run:

sh
sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://gnoblin.org/apt/gnoblin-archive-keyring.asc |
    sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/keyrings/gnoblin-archive-keyring.gpg

This key verifies that packages and updates came from Gnoblin. If curl or gpg is missing, install the curl and gpg packages first.

2. Add your system's repository ​

Debian 13:

sh
echo 'deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/gnoblin-archive-keyring.gpg] https://gnoblin.org/apt/debian 13 main' |
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gnoblin.list

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS:

sh
echo 'deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/gnoblin-archive-keyring.gpg] https://gnoblin.org/apt/ubuntu 24.04 main' |
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gnoblin.list

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS:

sh
echo 'deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/gnoblin-archive-keyring.gpg] https://gnoblin.org/apt/ubuntu 26.04 main' |
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gnoblin.list

3. Install ​

sh
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gnoblin

APT installs the required system packages. Gnoblin's newer runtime libraries stay under /usr/lib/gnoblin; your GNOME session remains installed separately.

4. Choose a shell and test the session ​

Install a desktop shell for your bar, launcher and other desktop controls. Then log out, select Gnoblin in the login screen's session menu, and test whether it reaches a usable desktop. Return to GNOME if the session does not start.

Next: configure Gnoblin.

Update ​

Run your normal system update, then log out and back in to use a new compositor:

sh
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Direct .deb downloads remain available on the release page.

Remove ​

Log into another session, then:

sh
sudo apt remove gnoblin

Your configuration in ~/.config/gnoblin is kept.