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Boot Ubuntu 16.04 into command line / do not start GUI

Starting Ubuntu without the GUIStarting Ubuntu without the GUIUBUNTU boot into terminalBoot Mac Lion into Command LineChromium: ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED on Ubuntu 16.04Not able to boot windows 8.1 and install/ live-boot ubuntu 16.04How to boot to command-line interface in Ubuntu 16.04grub entry for console onlyCannot boot into Grub2 menu (dual-boot Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 10)Unable to boot Ubuntu 16.04 after update and windows bootHow to boot into terminal on Linux Mint XFCE?

24

18

I want my Ubuntu 16.04 to not start GUI on boot and show command line console only. I have tried the following recipies but none of them are for version 16.04 and so they do not seem to work — GUI starts anyway:

1. GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=”text”




2. Changing the default runlevel

Ideally I also want to be able to start GUI by typig a command.

linux command-line boot gui ubuntu-16.04

share|improve this question

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community♦

1

asked Jul 28 '16 at 17:26

GreendrakeGreendrake

3221311

add a comment | 

24

18

I want my Ubuntu 16.04 to not start GUI on boot and show command line console only. I have tried the following recipies but none of them are for version 16.04 and so they do not seem to work — GUI starts anyway:

1. GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=”text”




2. Changing the default runlevel

Ideally I also want to be able to start GUI by typig a command.

linux command-line boot gui ubuntu-16.04

share|improve this question

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community♦

1

asked Jul 28 '16 at 17:26

GreendrakeGreendrake

3221311

add a comment | 

I want my Ubuntu 16.04 to not start GUI on boot and show command line console only. I have tried the following recipies but none of them are for version 16.04 and so they do not seem to work — GUI starts anyway:

1. GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=”text”




2. Changing the default runlevel

Ideally I also want to be able to start GUI by typig a command.

linux command-line boot gui ubuntu-16.04

share|improve this question

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community♦

1

asked Jul 28 '16 at 17:26

GreendrakeGreendrake

3221311

share|improve this question

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community♦

1

asked Jul 28 '16 at 17:26

GreendrakeGreendrake

3221311

share|improve this question

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community♦

1

asked Jul 28 '16 at 17:26

GreendrakeGreendrake

3221311

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community♦

1

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community♦

1

asked Jul 28 '16 at 17:26

GreendrakeGreendrake

3221311

asked Jul 28 '16 at 17:26

GreendrakeGreendrake

3221311

5 Answers
5

active

oldest

votes

22

You could disable the display manager service with systemctl. For example if your display manager is lightdm then run:

sudo systemctl disable lightdm.service

This will prevent the service from starting at boot.

Edit:

I forgot to mention how to start the GUI. It is as simple as starting the systemd service:

sudo systemctl start lightdm.service

share|improve this answer

edited 16 mins ago

Craig S. Anderson

1747

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:34

Tristan VigilTristan Vigil

458149

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This worked for me on 16.04 on a arm board. Thanks. :)
  
  – wojci
  Nov 9 '16 at 18:51
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This did not work on my system. (16.04 LTS on a PC) It shows the initial screen with all the [ OK ] messages as the services start, and then freezes.
  
  – Paul Williams
  Mar 30 '18 at 3:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  BTW to re-enable the service the command is actually sudo systemctl enable lightdm.service
  
  – Paul Williams
  Mar 30 '18 at 4:25
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

14

Instead of text use runlevel 3:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3"



# To remove all the fancy graphics you need to get rid of `splash`.

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet”



# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only) 

GRUB_TERMINAL=console

Then update-grub and reboot.

---

But you really only need GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3". For quick test hit ESC during booting to get into the grub boot menu. Then press e and find the line which specifies kernel and add 3 at the end:

 linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu ro 3

Boot it with CTRL+x

---

Ideally I also want to be able to start GUI by typig a command.

One of these:

$ sudo telinit 5

$ sudo service lightdm restart

$ sudo systemctl start lightdm

Tested on Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS.

share|improve this answer

answered Oct 26 '16 at 5:14

A.D.A.D.

342421

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Replacing "text" by "3", worked for me ! Very efficient ! Thanks
  
  – ThomasGuenet
  Jan 26 '17 at 17:02
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  hi. the answer looks nice but its hard to understand. I just Ideally need one command to boot into text mode, do what I need, and go back into normal desktop mode.
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 2:29
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @nyxee My answer has 3 sections. Follow the second: "For quick test hit..."
  
  – A.D.
  Aug 19 '17 at 6:29
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I appreciate the information in your post. by the time people look for this information, they are normally exhausted with other options. I gave an example of a simple answer below.
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 23:32
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Nice answer. I'm just used to post longer answers with a lot of information so we all can learn more. And also I'm familiar with grub cmd line options so it's faster for me to add 3 and I'm good to go + it's multi-distro solution :)
  
  – A.D.
  Aug 20 '17 at 16:40
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 3 more comments

9

• When in GUI-mode, this will take you to text-mode (runlevel 2,3,4) on reboot. You may get a blank screen (no-gui) which is a reminder that there's no GUI :-), enter ctrlalt(F1,F2,...) to use the runlevels.

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

• This will take you back to GUI boot when you are in text-mode.

systemctl set-default graphical.target

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 21 '17 at 17:07

answered Aug 19 '17 at 23:30

nyxeenyxee

20625

add a comment | 

8

One of the following, as part of the kernel command line (editable via GRUB), should work:

• 
  systemd.unit=multi-user.target will override the default of "graphical.target" – this, along with systemctl set-default, is the equivalent of "default runlevel";


• 
  systemd.mask=lightdm.service will forbid a specific service from starting, until manually systemctl unmask'd later;


• 
  systemd.mask=display-manager.service – same;


• 
  rescue aka systemd.unit=rescue.target is the equivalent of "single-user runlevel"; not for daily use, but useful when fixing broken GUI.

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:37

grawitygrawity

240k37508561

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  it would be useful to mention how you return to normality from that "emergency setting" .
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 2:27
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  For the benefit of others, the actual CLI command you want is systemctl set-default multi-user.target (and I believe systemctl set-default graphical.target would reset it)
  
  – Andrea
  Sep 17 '17 at 20:19
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  That's only if you want it semi-permanent, and can reach a shell in the first place. The main post has nothing to do with CLI commands.
  
  – grawity
  Sep 17 '17 at 22:08
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

2

for ubuntu 18.04 enable root user

 sudo passwd

and then

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 27 '18 at 3:03

MohanndMohannd

775

add a comment | 

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22

You could disable the display manager service with systemctl. For example if your display manager is lightdm then run:

sudo systemctl disable lightdm.service

This will prevent the service from starting at boot.

Edit:

I forgot to mention how to start the GUI. It is as simple as starting the systemd service:

sudo systemctl start lightdm.service

share|improve this answer

edited 16 mins ago

Craig S. Anderson

1747

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:34

Tristan VigilTristan Vigil

458149

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This worked for me on 16.04 on a arm board. Thanks. :)
  
  – wojci
  Nov 9 '16 at 18:51
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This did not work on my system. (16.04 LTS on a PC) It shows the initial screen with all the [ OK ] messages as the services start, and then freezes.
  
  – Paul Williams
  Mar 30 '18 at 3:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  BTW to re-enable the service the command is actually sudo systemctl enable lightdm.service
  
  – Paul Williams
  Mar 30 '18 at 4:25
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

22

You could disable the display manager service with systemctl. For example if your display manager is lightdm then run:

sudo systemctl disable lightdm.service

This will prevent the service from starting at boot.

Edit:

I forgot to mention how to start the GUI. It is as simple as starting the systemd service:

sudo systemctl start lightdm.service

share|improve this answer

edited 16 mins ago

Craig S. Anderson

1747

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:34

Tristan VigilTristan Vigil

458149

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This worked for me on 16.04 on a arm board. Thanks. :)
  
  – wojci
  Nov 9 '16 at 18:51
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This did not work on my system. (16.04 LTS on a PC) It shows the initial screen with all the [ OK ] messages as the services start, and then freezes.
  
  – Paul Williams
  Mar 30 '18 at 3:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  BTW to re-enable the service the command is actually sudo systemctl enable lightdm.service
  
  – Paul Williams
  Mar 30 '18 at 4:25
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

You could disable the display manager service with systemctl. For example if your display manager is lightdm then run:

sudo systemctl disable lightdm.service

This will prevent the service from starting at boot.

Edit:

I forgot to mention how to start the GUI. It is as simple as starting the systemd service:

sudo systemctl start lightdm.service

share|improve this answer

edited 16 mins ago

Craig S. Anderson

1747

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:34

Tristan VigilTristan Vigil

458149

sudo systemctl disable lightdm.service

sudo systemctl start lightdm.service

share|improve this answer

edited 16 mins ago

Craig S. Anderson

1747

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:34

Tristan VigilTristan Vigil

458149

edited 16 mins ago

Craig S. Anderson

1747

edited 16 mins ago

Craig S. Anderson

1747

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:34

Tristan VigilTristan Vigil

458149

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:34

Tristan VigilTristan Vigil

458149

14

Instead of text use runlevel 3:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3"



# To remove all the fancy graphics you need to get rid of `splash`.

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet”



# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only) 

GRUB_TERMINAL=console

Then update-grub and reboot.

---

But you really only need GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3". For quick test hit ESC during booting to get into the grub boot menu. Then press e and find the line which specifies kernel and add 3 at the end:

 linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu ro 3

Boot it with CTRL+x

---

Ideally I also want to be able to start GUI by typig a command.

One of these:

$ sudo telinit 5

$ sudo service lightdm restart

$ sudo systemctl start lightdm

Tested on Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS.

share|improve this answer

answered Oct 26 '16 at 5:14

A.D.A.D.

342421

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Replacing "text" by "3", worked for me ! Very efficient ! Thanks
  
  – ThomasGuenet
  Jan 26 '17 at 17:02
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  hi. the answer looks nice but its hard to understand. I just Ideally need one command to boot into text mode, do what I need, and go back into normal desktop mode.
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 2:29
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @nyxee My answer has 3 sections. Follow the second: "For quick test hit..."
  
  – A.D.
  Aug 19 '17 at 6:29
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I appreciate the information in your post. by the time people look for this information, they are normally exhausted with other options. I gave an example of a simple answer below.
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 23:32
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Nice answer. I'm just used to post longer answers with a lot of information so we all can learn more. And also I'm familiar with grub cmd line options so it's faster for me to add 3 and I'm good to go + it's multi-distro solution :)
  
  – A.D.
  Aug 20 '17 at 16:40
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 3 more comments

14

Instead of text use runlevel 3:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3"



# To remove all the fancy graphics you need to get rid of `splash`.

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet”



# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only) 

GRUB_TERMINAL=console

Then update-grub and reboot.

---

But you really only need GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3". For quick test hit ESC during booting to get into the grub boot menu. Then press e and find the line which specifies kernel and add 3 at the end:

 linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu ro 3

Boot it with CTRL+x

---

Ideally I also want to be able to start GUI by typig a command.

One of these:

$ sudo telinit 5

$ sudo service lightdm restart

$ sudo systemctl start lightdm

Tested on Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS.

share|improve this answer

answered Oct 26 '16 at 5:14

A.D.A.D.

342421

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Replacing "text" by "3", worked for me ! Very efficient ! Thanks
  
  – ThomasGuenet
  Jan 26 '17 at 17:02
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  hi. the answer looks nice but its hard to understand. I just Ideally need one command to boot into text mode, do what I need, and go back into normal desktop mode.
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 2:29
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @nyxee My answer has 3 sections. Follow the second: "For quick test hit..."
  
  – A.D.
  Aug 19 '17 at 6:29
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I appreciate the information in your post. by the time people look for this information, they are normally exhausted with other options. I gave an example of a simple answer below.
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 23:32
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Nice answer. I'm just used to post longer answers with a lot of information so we all can learn more. And also I'm familiar with grub cmd line options so it's faster for me to add 3 and I'm good to go + it's multi-distro solution :)
  
  – A.D.
  Aug 20 '17 at 16:40
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 3 more comments

Instead of text use runlevel 3:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3"



# To remove all the fancy graphics you need to get rid of `splash`.

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet”



# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only) 

GRUB_TERMINAL=console

Then update-grub and reboot.

---

But you really only need GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3". For quick test hit ESC during booting to get into the grub boot menu. Then press e and find the line which specifies kernel and add 3 at the end:

 linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu ro 3

Boot it with CTRL+x

---

Ideally I also want to be able to start GUI by typig a command.

One of these:

$ sudo telinit 5

$ sudo service lightdm restart

$ sudo systemctl start lightdm

Tested on Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS.

share|improve this answer

answered Oct 26 '16 at 5:14

A.D.A.D.

342421

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="3"



# To remove all the fancy graphics you need to get rid of `splash`.

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet”



# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only) 

GRUB_TERMINAL=console

 linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu ro 3

$ sudo telinit 5

$ sudo service lightdm restart

$ sudo systemctl start lightdm

share|improve this answer

answered Oct 26 '16 at 5:14

A.D.A.D.

342421

answered Oct 26 '16 at 5:14

A.D.A.D.

342421

answered Oct 26 '16 at 5:14

A.D.A.D.

342421

9

• When in GUI-mode, this will take you to text-mode (runlevel 2,3,4) on reboot. You may get a blank screen (no-gui) which is a reminder that there's no GUI :-), enter ctrlalt(F1,F2,...) to use the runlevels.

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

• This will take you back to GUI boot when you are in text-mode.

systemctl set-default graphical.target

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 21 '17 at 17:07

answered Aug 19 '17 at 23:30

nyxeenyxee

20625

add a comment | 

9

• When in GUI-mode, this will take you to text-mode (runlevel 2,3,4) on reboot. You may get a blank screen (no-gui) which is a reminder that there's no GUI :-), enter ctrlalt(F1,F2,...) to use the runlevels.

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

• This will take you back to GUI boot when you are in text-mode.

systemctl set-default graphical.target

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 21 '17 at 17:07

answered Aug 19 '17 at 23:30

nyxeenyxee

20625

add a comment | 

• When in GUI-mode, this will take you to text-mode (runlevel 2,3,4) on reboot. You may get a blank screen (no-gui) which is a reminder that there's no GUI :-), enter ctrlalt(F1,F2,...) to use the runlevels.

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

• This will take you back to GUI boot when you are in text-mode.

systemctl set-default graphical.target

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 21 '17 at 17:07

answered Aug 19 '17 at 23:30

nyxeenyxee

20625

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 21 '17 at 17:07

answered Aug 19 '17 at 23:30

nyxeenyxee

20625

answered Aug 19 '17 at 23:30

nyxeenyxee

20625

answered Aug 19 '17 at 23:30

nyxeenyxee

20625

8

One of the following, as part of the kernel command line (editable via GRUB), should work:

• 
  systemd.unit=multi-user.target will override the default of "graphical.target" – this, along with systemctl set-default, is the equivalent of "default runlevel";


• 
  systemd.mask=lightdm.service will forbid a specific service from starting, until manually systemctl unmask'd later;


• 
  systemd.mask=display-manager.service – same;


• 
  rescue aka systemd.unit=rescue.target is the equivalent of "single-user runlevel"; not for daily use, but useful when fixing broken GUI.

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:37

grawitygrawity

240k37508561

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  it would be useful to mention how you return to normality from that "emergency setting" .
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 2:27
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  For the benefit of others, the actual CLI command you want is systemctl set-default multi-user.target (and I believe systemctl set-default graphical.target would reset it)
  
  – Andrea
  Sep 17 '17 at 20:19
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  That's only if you want it semi-permanent, and can reach a shell in the first place. The main post has nothing to do with CLI commands.
  
  – grawity
  Sep 17 '17 at 22:08
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

8

One of the following, as part of the kernel command line (editable via GRUB), should work:

• 
  systemd.unit=multi-user.target will override the default of "graphical.target" – this, along with systemctl set-default, is the equivalent of "default runlevel";


• 
  systemd.mask=lightdm.service will forbid a specific service from starting, until manually systemctl unmask'd later;


• 
  systemd.mask=display-manager.service – same;


• 
  rescue aka systemd.unit=rescue.target is the equivalent of "single-user runlevel"; not for daily use, but useful when fixing broken GUI.

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answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:37

grawitygrawity

240k37508561

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  it would be useful to mention how you return to normality from that "emergency setting" .
  
  – nyxee
  Aug 19 '17 at 2:27
  

  
  
  
  


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  For the benefit of others, the actual CLI command you want is systemctl set-default multi-user.target (and I believe systemctl set-default graphical.target would reset it)
  
  – Andrea
  Sep 17 '17 at 20:19
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


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  That's only if you want it semi-permanent, and can reach a shell in the first place. The main post has nothing to do with CLI commands.
  
  – grawity
  Sep 17 '17 at 22:08
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

One of the following, as part of the kernel command line (editable via GRUB), should work:

• 
  systemd.unit=multi-user.target will override the default of "graphical.target" – this, along with systemctl set-default, is the equivalent of "default runlevel";


• 
  systemd.mask=lightdm.service will forbid a specific service from starting, until manually systemctl unmask'd later;


• 
  systemd.mask=display-manager.service – same;


• 
  rescue aka systemd.unit=rescue.target is the equivalent of "single-user runlevel"; not for daily use, but useful when fixing broken GUI.

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:37

grawitygrawity

240k37508561

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:37

grawitygrawity

240k37508561

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:37

grawitygrawity

240k37508561

answered Jul 28 '16 at 17:37

grawitygrawity

240k37508561

2

for ubuntu 18.04 enable root user

 sudo passwd

and then

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

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answered Aug 27 '18 at 3:03

MohanndMohannd

775

add a comment | 

2

for ubuntu 18.04 enable root user

 sudo passwd

and then

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 27 '18 at 3:03

MohanndMohannd

775

add a comment | 

for ubuntu 18.04 enable root user

 sudo passwd

and then

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 27 '18 at 3:03

MohanndMohannd

775

 sudo passwd

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 27 '18 at 3:03

MohanndMohannd

775

answered Aug 27 '18 at 3:03

MohanndMohannd

775

answered Aug 27 '18 at 3:03

MohanndMohannd

775