The Gnome login screen normally works flawlessly, as it’s a lovely piece of software program with a wonderful group behind it. Nevertheless, even nice instruments have their dangerous days and cease working. So, on this information, we’re going to go over how to fix a broken Gnome login screen on Linux.
Please notice that you do not want to be utilizing the Gnome Shell desktop surroundings to make the most of this fix. All that’s required is that you simply’re utilizing a comparatively latest launch of the Gnome show supervisor (the login screen).
Earlier than we start
Within the occasion that the Gnome login screen stops working the best way it ought to, you will be unable to entry the Gnome session. Since there isn’t any approach to entry the Gnome session, there isn’t any approach to rapidly pop open a terminal window to pressure the login screen to cooperate. As a substitute, you’ll want to make the most of TTY digital console.
What’s TTY? It’s the text-only digital terminal that may be accessed when a keyboard mixture is pressed on a Linux laptop system. All Linux distributions have them by default as a characteristic. Some, like Ubuntu, have six digital terminals, whereas different Linux distributions could solely have only one or two. After which there’s Arch Linux, which supplies customers TTY digital consoles as their default desktop surroundings till they manually set all the pieces up!
The TTY digital console is useful in working in emergencies, particularly in circumstances like this the place the Gnome login screen isn’t very responsive, is locking up, or simply plain isn’t working proper.
To get your palms on the TTY digital console on your Linux desktop, look to the keyboard and press Ctrl + Alt + F2, and the primary terminal will open. Although take into account that not all Linux techniques assign a TTY to this combo, so attempt among the different ones within the checklist beneath.
- Ctrl + Alt + F3
- Ctrl + Alt + F4
- Ctrl + Alt + F5
- Ctrl + Alt + F6
After gaining entry to the TTY digital console on your Linux PC, discover the “login” part, and write your PC’s username to log into the command-line terminal. The “root” account additionally works too.
Upon logging in to the TTY digital console, transfer on to one of many strategies beneath to fix the Gnome login window on your Linux PC.
Methodology 1 – rebooting Gnome Show Supervisor with systemd
A technique to pressure the Gnome login screen to fix is to reboot the service that controls it. The rationale that rebooting it’s a good thought is that in case you’re experiencing issues with a program or service, refreshing the problematic utility can rapidly get you again up and operating in a small period of time.
Rebooting the Gnome show supervisor means making use of the Systemd init system is required. The rationale Systemd is integral to the restart course of is that Gnome is tightly built-in with it.
To reboot your login screen, use the systemctl restart gdm.service command, together with sudo, as it isn’t attainable to execute system-level instructions with out root privileges.
sudo systemctl restart gdm.service
Upon operating the “systemctl restart” command above, your Linux PC ought to immediately take you out of the TTY digital terminal and to a freshly restarted Gnome login screen, that hopefully works.
If the restart course of hasn’t labored, do this course of as many occasions because it takes. Or give Methodology 2 a shot.
Methodology 2 – stopping Gnome Show Supervisor and restarting it with systemd
Restarting the Gnome show supervisor’s Systemd service is a dependable approach to fix points with the login screen, as when it’s refreshed, the issues normally go away. Nevertheless, restarting could not work in all circumstances (for no matter motive).
An alternate method to getting an unresponsive Gnome Show Supervisor working once more is to flat out kill the method, so it stops operating. Then, begin it again up once more. Successfully, that is in all probability the identical as restarting it, nevertheless it’s a wonderful approach to go for these having points with Methodology 1.
To cease the Gnome login screen from operating, you’ll want to make use of the Systemd cease command. So, within the TTY digital terminal, attempt systemctl cease gdm.service with sudo privileges.
sudo systemctl cease gdm.service
Operating the “systemctl stop” command above ought to immediately kill the Gnome show supervisor. Nevertheless, you wouldn’t realize it, because the TTY console remains to be up. From right here, use the systemctl begin gdm.service command with sudo to begin it again up once more.
sudo systemctl begin gdm.service
Proper after the “systemctl start” runs, the Gnome show supervisor will take you out of the TTY digital terminal and again to a contemporary login screen. In any other case, if it doesn’t, press Ctrl + F7 to ship the digital terminal to the background.
