How to Install GNOME Desktop Environment on CentOS Stream 9 with XRDP

If you’re running a server or a virtual machine with CentOS Stream 9 and you want to add a graphical user interface (GUI), installing the GNOME desktop environment is a great option. Additionally, you may want to access the GUI remotely using XRDP. In this guide, we’ll cover the steps to install the GNOME desktop and set up XRDP for remote desktop access. We’ll also go over how to uninstall these components if you no longer need them.

📋 Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure your system is up to date:

sudo dnf update -y

🖥️ Installing GNOME Desktop Environment

CentOS Stream 9 doesn’t come with a desktop environment by default, so you’ll need to install it manually.

• Step 1: Install GNOME Desktop

  sudo dnf groupinstall "Server with GUI" -y

• Step 2: Set the default target to graphical (this will boot your system into the graphical interface by default)

  sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

• Step 3: Reboot your system to apply the changes

  sudo reboot

Once your system restarts, you should be greeted with the GNOME login screen.

🔐 Installing XRDP for Remote Desktop Access

XRDP is an open-source implementation of the Microsoft RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) that allows you to control a remote system’s desktop environment.

• Step 1: Install the EPEL repository

  sudo dnf install epel-release -y

• Step 2: Install XRDP

  sudo dnf install xrdp -y

• Step 3: Start and enable the XRDP service

  sudo systemctl enable xrdp --now

• Step 4: Configure the firewall to allow RDP connections

  sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=3389/tcp --permanent
  sudo firewall-cmd --reload

🔄 Associating XRDP with GNOME Desktop Environment

To ensure XRDP uses the GNOME desktop, you need to create an .xsession file in your home directory with the following command:

echo "gnome-session" > ~/.xsession

Then, restart the XRDP service:

sudo systemctl restart xrdp

Now you can connect to your CentOS Stream 9 system using any standard RDP client by entering the server’s IP address.

❌ Uninstalling GNOME and XRDP

If you decide to uninstall GNOME and XRDP, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Remove GNOME Desktop

  sudo dnf groupremove "Server with GUI" -y

• Step 2: Remove XRDP

  sudo dnf remove xrdp -y

• Step 3: Remove the EPEL repository if it’s no longer needed

  sudo dnf remove epel-release -y

• Step 4: Reset the default target to multi-user (text-based)

  sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target

• Step 5: Reboot your system

  sudo reboot

After these steps, your system will return to its previous state without the GNOME desktop environment and XRDP.