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Short answer: aerynOS documents desktop choices during installation and instructions for adding KDE Plasma or COSMIC to an existing GNOME system. The official desktop documentation does not currently provide a Budgie installation or switching procedure, so do not assume Budgie can be installed with moss or selected at login.
Which desktop environments does aerynOS document?
The aerynOS desktop overview covers GNOME, KDE Plasma, COSMIC, and window managers; it does not list a Budgie desktop page. The GNOME guide identifies GNOME as the live-environment default and says aerynOS uses Wayland and does not offer X11.
aerynOS describes itself as alpha software, so desktop availability and instructions can change. The documentation index reports an update on October 2, 2026; check the official desktop pages for current options before changing or installing a system (aerynOS Documentation).
Choose a desktop during a new installation
The installation guide says the lichen installer prompts you to select a desktop environment. The download page describes GNOME, KDE Plasma, COSMIC, and terminal-only installation choices. The installer downloads the latest packages from the repository, so the offered choices may change over time. This installation choice is distinct from adding a desktop to an existing system.
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Add a desktop to an existing GNOME installation
The documented add-on procedures start from GNOME and cover Plasma and COSMIC. Install one package set for the desktop you want, then choose its session in GDM at login.
Add KDE Plasma
The Plasma guide lists three package sets. Choose one and run its command:
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- Minimal: the Plasma session package set.
sudo moss install pkgset-aeryn-plasma-minimal - Recommended: Plasma with recommended applications.
sudo moss install pkgset-aeryn-plasma-recommended - Full: the full KDE application set.
sudo moss install pkgset-aeryn-plasma-full
After installation, select the Plasma session from GDM’s session choices on the login screen.
Add COSMIC
The COSMIC guide likewise lists minimal, recommended, and full package sets. Choose one and run its command:
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- Minimal:
sudo moss install pkgset-aeryn-cosmic-minimal - Recommended:
sudo moss install pkgset-aeryn-cosmic-recommended - Full:
sudo moss install pkgset-aeryn-cosmic-full
At the GDM login screen, select the COSMIC session before signing in.
Keep the GNOME display-manager trade-off in mind
The Plasma documentation says users may replace GDM with SDDM or plasma-login-manager; the COSMIC documentation describes cosmic-greeter as an option. Both guides warn that GNOME Shell expects GDM for full functionality. If you want to retain GNOME alongside another desktop, keep GDM unless you have a specific reason to change the display manager and accept that documented limitation.
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Can you switch to Budgie on aerynOS?
No official aerynOS Budgie package set or installation and session-selection procedure is established by the available desktop documentation. A community update dated September 23, 2026 said Budgie was not ready for inclusion at that time (aerynOS community stream update). A separate community discussion mentioned labwc in the planned setup (Budgie discussion), but neither post is a current official installation recipe or proof of present availability.
Do not apply generic Budgie instructions or infer compatibility from another distribution. For example, Debian’s budgie-session manual describes an X11 session manager, while aerynOS’s GNOME documentation says the distribution uses Wayland and does not offer X11. Those project-specific statements do not establish whether aerynOS supports Budgie through another compositor arrangement. Check the current aerynOS desktop documentation for an official package set and procedure before attempting a Budgie install.
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