In this tutorial, you will learn how to install gnome desktop environment on Debian 12 "Bookworm". There are multiple ways to install gnome on Debian 12. In this tutorial, we are going to install gnome via tasksel and via apt package manager.
tasksel is a tool that allows you to choose different desktop environments that you can install on your system. Using tasksel is easy, and it doesn't require technical knowledge, all you have to do is run tasksel and choose your favorite desktop environment.
The good thing about tasksel is that it allows you to install multiple desktop environments at the same time. If you are planning to use multiple desktop environments on your computer, you can do so by installing them via tasksel.
Install gnome via tasksel
tasksel is already installed on Debian 12, so you don't need to install it. However, if for some reason tasksel is not installed on your system, you can install it via the command below
sudo apt install taskselTo install Gnome via tasksel, you need first to run tasksel
sudo taskselAnd tasksel should start as shown in the image below
Now, you need to select the desktop environment that you want to install. You can use the arrow keys to move up and down, and then press spacebar to select the desktop environment, in this case we are instaling "Gnome", so select Gnome.
Once you choose the desktop environment, press tab button and select the OK button
Next, the installation of Gnome desktop environment should start
Once the installation has been completed, you need to reboot your computer. And then on the login screen, you need to select the Desktop environment that you will be using for that session.
Now once you are in the login screen, click to the upper right icon
And then login
After logging in, you can setup your gnome installation.
Install gnome via apt
Follow the steps below, to install gnome on your system by using the default package manager apt.
Step 1 - Update your system
Update your Debian 12 system before installing gnome.
sudo apt updateStep 2 - Install gnome
Once you have updated your system, you can now proceed and install gnome via the command below
sudo apt install gnomeOnce you run the installation command, you will need to authenticate, enter your password and press enter to continue installing gnome.
Next, you need to press the Y key, to start the installation process
And the installation will start
When the installation has completed, you will see the following output in your terminal
Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ...
Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.36.0-1.1) ...
Processing triggers for libglib2.0-0:amd64 (2.74.6-2) ...
Processing triggers for mate-menus (1.26.0-3) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.36-9) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.11.2-2) ...
Processing triggers for dbus (1.14.6-1) ...
Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (2.2-1) ...
Processing triggers for udev (252.6-1) ...
Processing triggers for mailcap (3.70+nmu1) ...
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.26-1) ...
This means gnome got successfully installed on your computer, and you can use gnome now.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, you learned how to install gnome desktop environment on Debian 12, by using the default package manager and by using tasksel.
