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To check the X.Org server executable installed on your Linux system, run Xorg -version. To check the server currently serving an X display, run xdpyinfo in a session connected to that display and inspect its vendor/server release information. These commands answer different questions: one reports the local executable; the other queries the active display server.

Check the X.Org server executable installed on your system

  1. Open a terminal.

  2. Run Xorg -version.

  3. Read the version printed by the executable. If the command is not found, the server executable may not be on your PATH or may have a different name on your distribution. Use your distribution’s package tools to locate the installed X server executable, then consult its manual page.

This check reports the version of the executable available on disk. It does not necessarily identify the server handling a particular display session.

Check the server running your current X display

  1. In a terminal that has access to the target X display, run xdpyinfo.

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  2. Inspect the vendor and server release information in the output. The X.Org reference explains that the server’s VendorRelease value corresponds to its X.Org version number and shows how xdpyinfo presents it: X.Org Version Numbering Schemes.

This query describes the server to which the client connected. It may not be the same as the version of an X server executable installed on disk. X.Org documents exceptions in which the reported value was not set correctly, so treat the live query as useful evidence, not an infallible result.

If xdpyinfo is unavailable

Use your distribution’s package manager to find the package that provides xdpyinfo. Package names and executable availability vary by distribution. You can also consult the installed server’s manual page; X.Org documents command manuals as the conventional place for command-specific details, accessed with the usual man command: X.Org Documentation.

Which version should you report?

For a question specifically about the X.Org server, report the xorg-server module version, not a broader X11 window-system release label. X.Org modules are released independently, so the server module number is the more specific value for this purpose. If you need to describe a running session, say that the value came from the active display; if you checked the executable, say it came from the installed binary.

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How to read an X.Org version number

X.Org documents the pattern M.m.P.s: major, minor, patch level, and an optional snapshot number. A snapshot suffix can identify a between-release snapshot; stable bug-fix releases advance the patch level. A four-part value should not automatically be treated as an ordinary final release. The versioning reference was updated in November 2010, so consult your distribution’s package metadata or local manual for distribution-specific details.

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