In the Autumn issue of Ubuntu 25.10, it has been announced that support for the GNOME session based on X11 will no longer be provided. Instead, users will only have the option to start a session based on Wayland. However, the ability to launch X11 applications using XWayland will still be available. The distribution will continue to offer packages with X.org components and alternative desktop environments using x11, which can be installed from the repository.
The decision to remove the X11 session is based on plans from the GNOME project to cease support for X11, as well as Ubuntu’s long-term strategy to offer a secure, high-performance, and modern desktop environment. Maintaining support for both X11 and Wayland sessions leads to a build-up of technical debt, increases maintenance costs, and hinders the effective implementation of innovations.
In the Gnome 49 autumn issue, it was decided to disable the default X11 session in the GDM display manager (GNOME DISPLAY Manager), which provides the login screen. The full removal of the X11 session from the GNOME code is anticipated in the release of GNOME 50 scheduled for next spring. There is a possibility that the X11 code could be removed in GNOME 49 if no new issues arise during the shutdown process.
However, GNOME developers may revert these changes and delay the X11 shutdown only in the event of an unforeseen critical problem. Efforts to eliminate X11 are also underway in the GTK library, where the X11 protocol was marked as obsolete in February. GTK5 plans include retaining support only for Wayland.
It is emphasized that the Wayland session in Ubuntu is now stable and suitable for most common tasks. Improvements have been made in the support of Wayland in NVIDIA proprietary drivers, enhancing security measures, strengthening graphic stack isolation, and preparing the desktop environment for daily use. Additionally, better support for touch screens and Hi-DPI displays has been implemented.