Every Ubuntu user eventually hits an app that behaves oddly for no clear reason. A screen recorder captures a black window, a game stutters, a chat app will not share its screen, or an old tool draws its menus in the wrong place. Very often the app itself is fine. The real difference is the invisible display system running underneath your desktop: Wayland or Xorg. Ubuntu supports both, and switching between them takes less than a minute once you know where the option hides.
The option hides well. There is no big toggle in Settings, and many people search for it in completely the wrong place. The choice lives on the login screen, tucked behind a small gear icon that only appears after you select your user name. This guide shows you exactly how to switch, how to tell which session you are using, and how to decide which session suits each kind of app glitch, so you can test a fix quickly instead of reinstalling software that was never broken.
Quick Answer
To switch between Wayland and Xorg on Ubuntu, log out, click your user name on the login screen, then click the small gear icon in the bottom-right corner and choose either Ubuntu for Wayland or Ubuntu on Xorg. Sign in as normal, and your whole session will run on the system you picked. Ubuntu remembers your choice for future logins until you change it again, and you can check the active session any time with echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE.
What Wayland and Xorg Actually Are, in Plain English
Wayland and Xorg are the two systems that sit between your apps and your screen. Every window, mouse movement, and key press passes through one of them. Xorg, often called X11, is the older system. It has served Linux for decades, and almost every app ever written for Linux knows how to work with it. That long history is its greatest strength: screen sharing, remote desktop tools, automation apps, and old software all expect its behavior.
Wayland is the modern replacement. It is simpler, faster in many cases, and much more secure, because apps cannot secretly watch each other’s windows or record your keys. It also handles modern hardware better, with smoother animations, cleaner fractional scaling, and proper support for monitors with different refresh rates. Its weakness is that some older apps and a few specific features, especially certain screen recorders, global hotkeys, and remote control tools, were built for Xorg and still act up under Wayland. Neither choice is wrong in general. Use Wayland as your daily default, and switch to Xorg when a specific app demands it. Switching is free, reversible, and changes nothing about your files.
Step-by-Step: Switching at the Ubuntu Login Screen
Follow these steps exactly, because the gear icon only appears at one specific moment in the login flow.
- Save your work and log out using the system menu in the top-right corner. A restart also works, but logging out is faster.
- On the login screen, click your user name. Do not type your password yet.
- Look at the bottom-right corner. A small gear icon now appears.
- Click the gear icon to open the session menu.
- Choose Ubuntu to start a Wayland session, or Ubuntu on Xorg to start an Xorg session. Some systems spell the Wayland entry out in full.
- Type your password and press Enter to sign in with the session you selected.
Your desktop will look identical either way, which is why people often doubt anything changed. Ubuntu remembers the last session you used, so if you switch to Xorg for one app, you will stay on Xorg at the next login until you repeat these steps and choose Wayland again. The official Ubuntu help pages on logging in and out describe the same login screen elements if you want to compare them with your system.
How to Check Which Session You Are Using
Never guess during troubleshooting. There are two quick ways to confirm your current session type.
- Open a terminal and run
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE. The answer is either wayland or x11, and x11 means Xorg. - Or open Settings, go to About, and look at the system details. Recent Ubuntu versions list the windowing system there in plain text.
Run the terminal check right after switching, before you test your problem app. Plenty of failed fixes come down to someone believing they switched, testing carefully, and later discovering the choice never changed because the gear menu was never opened. Ten seconds of checking saves a lot of confusion.
Which Session Fixes Which App Glitches
Problems That Usually Get Better on Xorg
- Screen sharing and recording gaps. Some meeting and recording tools still share or capture more reliably on Xorg, especially older versions.
- Remote desktop tools. Apps that view or control the whole desktop historically expect Xorg behavior.
- Global hotkeys and automation. Tools that listen to keys across all apps or move windows automatically often need Xorg.
- Very old apps and games. Software written long before Wayland sometimes draws incorrectly or crashes under Wayland.
- Certain NVIDIA setups. Older NVIDIA drivers behaved much better on Xorg, though current drivers have narrowed this gap.
Problems That Usually Get Better on Wayland
- Screen tearing. Wayland presents synced frames, so desktop and video tearing usually disappears.
- Blurry fractional scaling. Scales like 125 percent look far sharper on Wayland with modern apps.
- Mixed monitor setups. Different refresh rates and scales per monitor work properly on Wayland and poorly on Xorg.
- Touchpad gestures and smoothness. One-to-one gestures and smoother scrolling are Wayland strengths.
If you are dealing with a blur problem right now, our guide on enabling fractional scaling on Ubuntu without blurry apps pairs naturally with a Wayland session.
What If the Gear Icon or the Xorg Option Is Missing?
If there is no gear icon, make sure you clicked your user name first, because the icon appears only on the password entry screen, not on the user list screen. Pressing Enter too quickly skips straight past it.
If the menu lists only one session, the other may not be installed. Installing the ubuntu-session and Xorg packages normally restores both entries after a restart.
If Ubuntu keeps returning you to the login screen, that is a login loop, usually a driver issue, and it should be fixed first.
Tips for Testing Without Confusing Yourself
Switching sessions is a diagnostic tool, so treat your tests like a small experiment. Change only the session, then open the exact app that glitched and repeat the exact action that failed. If the glitch is gone, the app prefers the other session, and you can either stay there or look for an updated version. If nothing changes, the session was never the cause, and you can switch back and look elsewhere with confidence.
Keep a note of which session each app prefers. For deeper background, the Arch Wiki Wayland overview is clear and applies to Ubuntu too.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Looking for the option inside Settings. The session choice lives only on the login screen, behind the gear icon.
- Typing the password before clicking the gear. Once you sign in, the session is fixed until you log out again.
- Forgetting Ubuntu remembers your choice. If you tested Xorg last week, you may still be on Xorg today. Check before troubleshooting.
- Assuming the desktop should look different. Both sessions look identical. Verify with
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE. - Blaming the app before testing the other session. A five-minute session switch is the cheapest test in Ubuntu troubleshooting.
- Switching mid-task without saving. Logging out closes your apps. Save documents before you switch.
Conclusion
Switching between Wayland and Xorg at the Ubuntu login screen is a small skill that solves a surprising range of app glitches. Log out, click your name, use the gear icon, pick your session, and sign in. Confirm the result with a quick terminal check, then test the problem app exactly as before. Use Wayland as your smooth, secure, modern default, and treat Xorg as the reliable compatibility mode for recorders, remote tools, and older software. Once you know where that little gear icon lives, a whole class of mysterious Ubuntu problems becomes a one-minute test instead of a day of frustration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will switching to Xorg delete my files or settings?
No. Both sessions use the same home folder, apps, and settings. Switching only changes the display system running underneath your desktop. Your documents, browser data, and preferences are untouched, and you can switch back at the next login with no downside.
Why does Ubuntu remember my session choice?
The login manager saves the last session you used so regular users do not have to pick one every day. This is convenient, but it also means a one-time test quietly becomes your new default. If you only wanted Xorg for one task, remember to switch back to Wayland afterward.
Which session is better for gaming on Ubuntu?
For most modern games and current drivers, Wayland performs just as well and gives smoother frame delivery. Some older games, overlays, and recording tools still behave better on Xorg. Test your specific game on both sessions and keep the one with fewer problems.
My screen sharing shows a black screen on Wayland. Should I switch?
First update the sharing app, because current versions handle Wayland sharing properly through the system’s sharing prompts. If the latest version still shows black screens, switching to an Xorg session for those calls is a practical, well-known workaround.
What does x11 mean when I check my session type?
It means you are running an Xorg session. X11 is the technical name of the protocol Xorg implements, so tools report it as x11. If the command says wayland instead, you are on the modern Wayland session. Both answers are normal.
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