Multiple installed DE

rkdevop · 2026-03-07 05:07:31

Hey all,

Just wondering on peoples experiences with having multiple desktop environments installed on the same system.
Does it cause you any issues?
I've been reading and seen mixed reports, so i thought i'd ask users of Arch here, directly.
Thanks!

killertofus · 2026-03-07 05:44:06

GNOME and KDE have very few overlapping packages, meaning you've probably doubled the size and frequency of your update/upgrades. You'll be able to see GNOME programs from your KDE menus and visa versa, which kinda kills the "environment" aspect if you ask me. If you really want to do it, go for it, but if you just want to try out one or the other, just install it in a virtual machine and have it in a sandbox. source https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=220712

5hridhyan · 2026-03-07 09:09:54

In my experience, having multiple DEs on one user doesn't 'break' the system, but you'll definitely hit UI inconsistency, like icons get shuffled, themes conflict, and you'l deal with duplicate apps/utilities and competing background services (which can eat RAM).

Edit: Best way to avoid the mess is to use a separate user account for each DE.

Last edited by 5hridhyan (2026-03-07 09:20:37)

rkdevop · 2026-03-07 09:47:43

thanks for the replies!
i'm keen to do a bit of experimenting anyway, i don't necessarily have a fully stable system as of yet so I won't be breaking anything precious if i do.

Arch Linux

#1 2026-03-07 05:07:31

Multiple installed DE

#2 2026-03-07 05:44:06

Re: Multiple installed DE

#3 2026-03-07 09:09:54

Re: Multiple installed DE

#4 2026-03-07 09:47:43

Re: Multiple installed DE

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