If you're looking to install a lightweight version of GNOME on Debian, similar to Ubuntu's "Minimal Install," you're in the right place. This guide will walk you through the steps to perform a Debian Minimal GNOME install using Netinst ISO.
At the end, you will get a barebones GNOME environment up and running on your Debian system. Let's get started!
Table of Contents
Step 1: Download the Netinst ISO
First, you'll need to download the Debian Netinst ISO. This is a minimal installation image that allows you to install Debian with just the basics.
Go to the Debian download page and grab the Netinst ISO file.
Next create a bootable USB drive with the ISO file using a tool like Rufus (for Windows) or Ventoy or Etcher (for Linux/Mac).
There are also so many other tools exist to help you create bootable USBs in Linux. If you're interested to know, check the following guides:
Command line bootable USB creation tools:
- How To Create Bootable USB Drive Using dd Command
- Bootiso Lets You Safely Create Bootable USB Drive In Linux
Graphical bootable USB creation tools:
- Popsicle – Create Multiple Bootable USB Drives At Once
- Create Bootable USB Drive With USBImager In Linux
- Kindd – A Graphical Frontend To dd Command
Step 2: Install Debian Minimal
1. Boot from the USB:
Insert the bootable USB into your computer and restart. Boot from the USB drive by selecting it in the BIOS/UEFI settings.
2. Start the Installation:
Start the Debian installation as usual and follow the on-screen instructions.
Continue the installation process until you reach the software selection step.
3. Software Selection:
This is the IMPORTANT step.
When you get to the "Software Selection" step, deselect everything except "Standard System Utilities."
This will ensure you only install the bare minimum.
4. Complete the Installation:
Follow the remaining prompts to complete the installation. Once done, reboot your system.
Step 3: Log into the Shell
After rebooting, log into your system as the root
user and its password you created during the installation. You'll be greeted with a shell prompt.
Step 4: Create a Sudo User
During the installation, you will probably create a regular user. You should assign sudo
privileges to that user now.
To do so, run:
apt install sudo
adduser ostechnix sudo
Replace ostechnix with your actual username.
Log out from the root session and log back in as the regular user.
From now on, you can perform administrative tasks as regular user with sudo privileges.
Step 5: Install GNOME Core
Now, let's install the core components of GNOME. Open the terminal and run the following commands:
sudo apt update sudo apt install gnome-core -y
This will install the essential parts of GNOME without any extra bloat.
Step 6: Remove ifupdown Package
The Debian installer uses the ifupdown
package for network management, but GNOME uses NetworkManager
. To avoid conflicts and ensure your WiFi card works, remove ifupdown
:
sudo apt purge ifupdown -y
Step 7: Reboot Your System
After removing ifupdown
, reboot your system:
sudo shutdown -r now
Step 8: Configure NetworkManager
Once you're back in GNOME, you'll need to make a small change to the NetworkManager
configuration file to ensure it manages your network devices correctly.
Edit the Configuration File:
sudo nano /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf
Change the line managed=false
to managed=true
.
Press Ctrl + O
to save the file, then Ctrl + X
to exit the editor.
Reboot again:
sudo shutdown -r now
Step 9: Configure IP Address again
After log in to the system, you may need to configure the IP address again.
To do so, go to Settings -> Network. Click the gear button next to your network connection and configure the IP address for your network interface.
Step 10: Install Additional Tools (Optional)
At this point, you have a barebones GNOME environment. If you want to add more tools like a file manager, terminal, web browser, git, CLI downloaders, and text editor etc., you can do so by running:
sudo apt install gnome-session nautilus gnome-terminal firefox-esr git wget curl vim -y
This will install the GNOME session manager, the Nautilus file manager, GNOME Terminal, Mozilla Firefox, Git, Wget, Curl, and Vim editor.
Do not make your system bloat again by installing unnecessary software. Just install only the essential software you want in your Debian system.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You've successfully installed a minimal GNOME environment on Debian. This setup is lightweight and perfect for those who want a clean, efficient desktop experience. Feel free to customize it further by installing additional GNOME components or other software as needed. Enjoy your new Debian GNOME setup!
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