Home Linux Installation Guides Debian Minimal GNOME Install: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Debian Minimal GNOME Install: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Ubuntu-Style Minimal GNOME on Debian: How-To Guide

By sk
Published: Updated: 4.3K views

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!

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:

Graphical bootable USB creation tools:


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.

Start Debian Installation
Start Debian Installation

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."

Choose Standard System Utilities
Choose 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.

Login to Debian Minimal Install
Login to Debian Minimal Install

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.

Configure IP Address in Debian
Configure IP Address in Debian

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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