On YaST you have the option to look for 'patterns' on the 'install packages' session. There, you can install the pattern for any DE available, and remove the old one if wanted. Answer from ExtinctNomai on reddit.com
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openSUSE
en.opensuse.org › openSUSE:Desktop_FAQ
openSUSE:Desktop FAQ
October 17, 2020 - We cannot provide a description for this page right now
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › how can i easily change desktop environments?
r/openSUSE on Reddit: How can I easily change Desktop Environments?
May 30, 2023 -

For context I currently use Tumbleweed with KDE but I want to switch to GNOME, and IIRC you can do it with YaST very easily, but I'm not sure how can you do it and if after doing it I will need to do some tinkering to remove KDE and all of their apps and ecosystem

Sidenote: I'm doing this on my laptop, I also wanted to try how big is the battery difference between KDE and GNOME

Update: I did it in the based on a reply, and everything worked fine

Edit: for anyone having this problem in the future, if you are switching from KDE to GNOME and you start experiencing long shutdowns / reboots you have to change the Window Manager default from Plasma to GNOME (it is done with Yast) and most importantly the display manager from SDDM (KDEs default) to GDM (GNOMEs default), I think this only aplies if you use Wayland (I don't use Xorg)

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › i'd like to switch from kde to gnome without reinstall the os. which are the best terminal commands to use?
r/openSUSE on Reddit: I'd like to switch from KDE to GNOME without reinstall the OS. Which are the best terminal commands to use?
August 4, 2022 - I run a VM of openSUSE Tumbleweed that has several Desktop Environments in it. I have no issues switching between them when I test applications or features. I actually think that this feature, specifically, is one of the great strengths of openSUSE. You really can play around and figure out what you like but if you change your mind, there is no need to do a nuke-and-pave installation.
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openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › applications
openSUSE Leap 42.1 how to change desktop environment from command line? - Applications - openSUSE Forums
February 7, 2016 - I am a newbie at this and I have spent the last 4 hours doing anything and everything imaginable in order to switch deskop environments from the command line. I just want to know if that is a possibility. I know that I can do the same thing using the options provided by the desktop manager at the login scree but if autologin is disabled, can I still set a default desktop environment in either the /etc/sysconfig/windowmanager file in the Default_VM and I have made changes to the gnome.desktop fil...
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Linux Hint
linuxhint.com › change_connamon_desktop_opensuse
Change to Cinnamon Desktop on OpenSUSE – Linux Hint
# Leap 42.3 $ sudo zypper ar -r http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/X11:/Cinnamon: /Current/openSUSE_Leap_42.3/X11:Cinnamon:Current.repo # Leap 42.2 $ sudo zypper ar -r http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/X11: /Cinnamon:/Current/openSUSE_Leap_42.2/X11:Cinnamon:Current.repo · Now, refresh the repo cache of zypper. ... Install Cinnamon by running the following command. ... Once the installation is complete, log out of the current session, change the desktop environment to Cinnamon and voila!
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openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › applications
How can I switch my desktop environment from LXDE to XFCE? - Applications - openSUSE Forums
November 14, 2010 - Hello everybody, I have a laptop that is a little bit older, and OpenSUSE was running pretty heavy on it with the KDE and Gnome desktops (I installed Gnome, tried it for bit, then wiped it and did a clean install with KDE). Since it was so sluggish on that laptop, I grabbed a couple live CD’s of OpenSUSE with the LXDE and XFCE desktop environments.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Changing OpenSuse Tumbleweed Linux's Desktop Environment
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SUSE
suse.com › support › kb › doc
How to select or switch between KDE and GNOME desktop environments | SUSE | Support Center
In SLES or SLED 10 there is an option button at the lower left part of the login screen. Click on the blue button or the words"Session Type". A popup menu will display various options including KDE and GNOME if they have been previously installed. Select the desired desktop environment and login.
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openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › install/boot/login
How do I change desktop environment to my old version of Gnome on 16? - Install/Boot/Login - openSUSE Forums
February 1, 2026 - I just upgraded this system to 16 after being unable to update 15.6 for a long time (the system would only run under a read-only version and the fixes wouldn’t work). It was getting really buggy and slow and getting wor…
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openSUSE
en.opensuse.org › SDB:Convert_server_to_desktop
SDB:Convert server to desktop - openSUSE Wiki
You have a desktop environment now. But openSUSE won't boot into desktop. It is controlled by systemd and we need to change default systemd target to graphical:
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eITWebguru
eitwebguru.com › home › how to switch from kde to gnome in opensuse
How to switch from KDE to GNOME in openSUSE - eITWebguru
May 1, 2013 - 1) To install GNOME open YasT Software Manager · 2) Click on Views (Drop Down Menu) and click on Pattern. 3) Now you will see following screen (viewed by pattern); select GNOME Desktop Environment and Press Accept.
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eKiwi
ekiwi-blog.de › en › 19052 › opensuse-switch-desktop-kde-gnome-and-others
openSuse: switch desktop, KDE, Gnome and others - eKiwi-Blog.de
February 27, 2022 - For the installation, we open Yast – Software – Software Management. Here we go to “View” and “Patterns” or the German equivalent. Here we can now install the desired desktop system.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › opensuse desktop environments
r/openSUSE on Reddit: openSUSE desktop environments
April 7, 2022 -

I know that this is a general linux question but maybe openSUSE does things a bit differently or suggests things differently. I like gnome, but since gnome 42 there are no customizations, except some small tweaks. Although I don't like to customize things, especially not in the way like kde allows you, I still like to change some small things on gnome. But since it doesn't allow it anymore I'll have to check KDE. So, my questions are: can multiple DE's be installed and how does openSUSE support multiple DE's? Maybe it suggests to install just one DE. can DE's completely be replaced, like installing a new one and deleting the old one? Can other DE's be added, ones that aren't in the installation list and will this affect the distro stability? And what is the recommended DE by openSUSE?

Top answer
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You can install any desktop environment you want, and you can have multiple. You'll just have multiple copies of apps that do the same task. They shouldn't affect the stability of your system, though bugs may slip through testing from upstream (the DE's developers). Also there is no recommended DE for openSUSE.
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You can have multiple DEs installed, you'll then just pick what you want to use before logging in. You'll just have multiple apps that do the same, since GNOME and KDE both install their own file explorer or text editor for example. There is no default DE, instead you'll manually select one at install time. You get GNOME, KDE and Xfce presented as equal options, but there are also IceWM and i3wm available with the footnote that IceWM is very basic and i3 is only supported by the community. It should be noted that regardless of your choice, IceWM is installed as a backup in case your current DE breaks, unless you specifically select "no DE". You can also completely remove any DE you currently have installed, even if it's the only one. Zypper uses metapackages (so called patterns) for this, you can just use sudo zypper rm -u to remove any package or pattern along with all of its dependencies that aren't needed by another package. For example, if you already have GNOME installed and want to also install KDE along with all the applications that would be installed if you selected KDE at install time, install the patterns-kde-kde package with sudo zypper in patterns-kde-kde. If you wanted to remove GNOME in the future, you could always use sudo zypper rm -u patterns-gnome-gnome.
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LinuxQuestions.org
linuxquestions.org › questions › suse-opensuse-60 › how-do-i-change-desktop-environment-473627
How do I change Desktop environment?
August 13, 2006 - Right now I am using Gnome, I would like to give KDE a spin. I know that KDE is the official Desktop for SUSE, however I just swtiched over from
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openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › install/boot/login
I Can't Seem To Change Desktop Environments - Install/Boot/Login - openSUSE Forums
July 13, 2017 - Hello All, I thought that it would be fun to add an additional desktop and have the option to boot into either desktop of openSUSE at boot in. I am currently running KDE as my desktop and I think that I successfully ins…
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › do i need to do a fresh install to change desktop enviroment?
r/openSUSE on Reddit: Do I need to do a fresh install to change desktop enviroment?
November 7, 2023 -

For exemple, I'm currently using GNOME on open suse tumbleweed. If I wanted to switch to KDE plasma or to XFCE I could essily install It with YasT. But the elements of the two desktops would be mixed together. And I'm afraid of deleting One of them and breaking some dependencies. What should bê the correct way to switch DEs?

Edit: So, I installed KDE Plasma over gnome, and now Konsole, Dolphin, and a lot of other Plasma aplications wont launch at all. And the firefox browser has adawaita theme even thought I changed it to breeze on the Plasma settings. How do I fix this?

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openSUSE
en.opensuse.org › openSUSE:FAQ
openSUSE:FAQ - openSUSE Wiki
3 weeks ago - In either case be sure to choose the image architecture which matches your hardware (if you're not sure, it's probably x86_64). Both BIOS and UEFI modes are supported. You do not have to disable UEFI Secure Boot to install openSUSE Leap or Tumbleweed. All installers offer you a choice of desktop environment, and the package selection can be completely customized.
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openSUSE
get.opensuse.org › desktop
openSUSE Desktop Distributions - Get openSUSE
The openSUSE contribution process empowers desktop development for everybody, so you have the choice to pick your favourite one in the installer. We actively feature three desktop environments, and offer even more in the expanded software view within the installer.