How to Install GNOME on CentOS 8

CentOS is a free, open-source Linux distribution compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. CentOS Linux 8 reached the end of life in December 2021; its successors are CentOS Stream, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux. The steps below work the same way on AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 8 and 9.

GNOME is a popular desktop environment for Linux: stable, reliable and user friendly. A desktop is useful if you want to work with graphical applications on your server, for example through VNC.

Installation Guide

A minimal or server installation of CentOS 8 has no desktop. GNOME is installed with the Workstation (or Server with GUI) package group. Run all commands as root or with sudo.

Step 1. Find the package group

Log in to the server console and list the available package groups:

sudo dnf grouplist

The Workstation group should be in the list.

Step 2. Install the Workstation group

Install the group with this command:

sudo dnf groupinstall "Workstation"

dnf shows the list of packages and asks for confirmation. Type y and press Enter. The installation can take some time, so wait until it finishes and you see the word Complete!

Step 3. Set the graphical target and reboot

Make the system boot to the graphical desktop by default:

sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

Reboot the server:

sudo reboot

After the reboot, the GNOME login screen will appear. You can connect to it through the VNC console in the BlueVPS client area. If you need a server for this, take a look at our AlmaLinux VPS and Rocky Linux VPS plans.