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Switch back to Xorg on Ubuntu

Updated

Written for Synergy 3 (v3.7.2) and Synergy 1 (v1.21.4), checked 3 October 2026.

Product: Synergy 1 and Synergy 3
Operating system: Ubuntu

To use Xorg instead of Wayland on Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04, choose Ubuntu on Xorg at the login screen. Ubuntu 25.10 and later, including 26.04, have no Xorg session for the GNOME desktop, so use Synergy 1 or Synergy 3 on Wayland there: Wayland support on Linux

When to switch to Xorg

  • You're on Ubuntu 22.04: the Synergy 1 and Synergy 3 packages for 22.04 work only on Xorg.
  • You rely on hotkeys on the server in Synergy 3, which doesn't support them on Wayland yet: Hotkeys not working on Wayland
  • You're having a problem with Wayland.

Use the login screen cog

To log in with Xorg instead of Wayland on Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04:

  1. Log out, or restart the computer.
  2. At the login screen, select your user, then select the small cog in the bottom right corner.
  3. Choose Ubuntu on Xorg and log in.

Edit the GDM config file

Sometimes the login screen cog is not visible. The alternative is to edit a config file, which also turns Wayland off for the login screen.

  1. Open the terminal, and enter the command: 
    sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf
  2. Un-comment the line to disable Wayland by removing the # sign, so it reads: 
    WaylandEnable=false
  3. Press Ctrl+O and Enter to save, then Ctrl+X to close nano.
  4. Restart the computer.

See also: How to enable/disable Wayland on Ubuntu Desktop

Troubleshooting

Yellow screen problem

If you see a yellow screen after disabling Wayland, add the "Standard Space - sRGB" color profile (instead of your default monitor profile):

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Click Color
  3. Click your monitor
  4. Click Add profile
  5. Click either Colorspace: sRGB or Standard Space - sRGB
  6. Click Add

If this doesn't solve the yellow screen problem, see the video by Abstract programmer: Ubuntu yellow screen fix

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