FIXED- Ubuntu black/blank screen (no desktop icons) after login | vetechno

Last Updated on January 28, 2023 by Vikash Ekka

Hey guys, you might have faced this problem in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. This generally happens when your are installing a compiz or updating any software, upgrading software, due to NVIDIA graphics, due to broken packages.

I had also faced the same issue when I was trying to install Ubuntu unity desktop on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. And I got the solution how to fix black screen (no desktop icon) after login Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.

So here I’m sharing the solution step by step commands, only you have to just copy and paste the command in the terminal by pressing CTRL+ALT+F1 in desktop area.

Below are the Solutions to fix Ubuntu 18.04 blank screen (no desktop icons) after login:-

Solution 1:

Ubuntu 18.04 desktop icons not showing

First, open terminal by CTRL+ALT+F1

sudo dpkg –configure -a

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade -y

sudo reboot

Now restart your Ubuntu machine, and then you can log in again normally.

Solution 2 :

Ubuntu 20.04 desktop icons missing

If the above doesn’t work, then try this

First, open terminal by CTRL+ALT+F1

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install –reinstall ubuntu-desktop

sudo apt-get install unity

sudo shutdown -r now

Also Read:

Install Wine on Ubuntu 22.04

Install uTorrent on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Install phpMyAdmin on Ubuntu 22.04

Solution 3 :

Ubuntu desktop icons not working

If none of the above work for you, then try this:

None of the above worked for you then you have to upgrade your Ubuntu for example from Ubuntu 16.04 to Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 20.04. Don’t worry your data will be safe.

First, open terminal by CTRL+ALT+F1

sudo do-release-upgrade

Now reboot your system and that’s is! Viola, You will have Unity back, and now you can get back to work, make some stunning design again with your Ubuntu laptop/desktop.

There are a few things that could be causing the issue with the icons on your Ubuntu desktop not working.

1. Corrupted icon cache: You can try rebuilding the icon cache by running the command “gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme ‘Name_of_icon_theme'” in the terminal, replacing “Name_of_icon_theme” with the name of the icon theme you’re currently using.
2. Missing dependencies: Make sure that you have all the necessary dependencies installed for the icon theme you’re using. You can install them using the command “sudo apt-get install [dependency]”
3. Permission issues: Check the permissions on the icon files and folders. They should be set to 644 for files and 755 for directories.
4. Conflicting theme: If you have installed multiple icon themes, it may be causing conflicts. Try uninstalling all but one icon theme to see if that resolves the issue.

If none of the above solutions work, you can try reinstalling the desktop environment or reinstalling ubuntu.

Ubuntu 22.04 desktop icons not showing

If the icons on your Ubuntu 22.04 desktop are not showing, there are a few things you can try to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Restart the Nautilus file manager: You can do this by running the command “nautilus -q” in the terminal.
2. Check the icon theme: Make sure that you have the correct icon theme selected in your settings. You can change the icon theme by going to Settings > Appearance > Icons.
3. Check for missing dependencies: Some icon themes may require additional dependencies to work correctly. Make sure that you have all the necessary dependencies installed for the icon theme you’re using.
4. Check for Gnome-shell extensions: Some gnome-shell extensions can cause the icons not to show. Try disabling or uninstalling the extensions and see if that fixes the issue.
5. Delete icon cache files: Sometimes the icon cache files may get corrupted, try deleting the icon cache files located in ~/.cache/icon-cache and ~/.local/share/gvfs-metadata

If none of the above solutions work, you can try reinstalling the Ubuntu desktop environment by running

sudo apt-get install --reinstall ubuntu-desktop

6. Check for updates: Make sure that you have the latest updates installed for your system. You can check for updates by running the command in the terminal.
   
   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
   
   
7. Check for a corrupted system file: A corrupted system file can cause the icons not to show. You can check for corrupted system files by running the command “sudo debsums -cs” in the terminal. If any corrupted files are found, you can try reinstalling the package by running
   
   sudo apt-get --reinstall install [package name]
   
   
8. Try a different desktop environment: If none of the above solutions work, you can try switching to a different desktop environment, such as XFCE or KDE, to see if that resolves the issue. You can install these desktop environments by running
   
   sudo apt-get install xfce4" or "sudo apt-get install kde-plasma-desktop
   

It’s also worth noting that this issue could also be caused by a third-party application or a hardware issue. If none of the above solutions work, you may want to consider creating a new user account and see if the issue persists or not.

Ubuntu 22.04 black screen after login

If you’re experiencing a black screen after logging into Ubuntu 22.04, there are a few things you can try to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check for a hardware issue: Make sure that your graphics card and monitor are working properly. Try connecting your monitor to a different computer or a different port on your computer to see if the issue is with the hardware.
2. Check your display settings: Make sure that your display settings are set correctly. Try changing the resolution or refresh rate in the display settings.
3. Check for a third-party application causing the issue: Some third-party applications can cause the black screen issue. Try logging in to your system in safe mode by holding the left shift key while booting and see if the issue persists.
4. Check for an issue with your graphics driver: Try switching to a different graphics driver. You can do this by going to settings > Additional Drivers and then selecting a different driver.
5. Check for an issue with your window manager: Try switching to a different window manager. You can do this by running the command “sudo apt-get install xfwm4” and then select xfwm4 in the settings.
6. Check for an issue with the .Xauthority file: Sometimes the .Xauthority file can become corrupt, causing the black screen issue. Try renaming the .Xauthority file to .Xauthority_bak and then reboot your system.
7. Check for an issue with the .config file: Sometimes the .config file can become corrupt, causing the black screen issue. Try renaming the .config folder to .config_bak and then reboot your system.

If none of the above solutions work, you may want to consider reinstalling your Ubuntu 22.04 or creating a new user account and see if the issue persists or not.

Ubuntu 22.04 screen goes black randomly . How to fix step by step with command.

If your Ubuntu 22.04 screen goes black randomly, there are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot the issue, using the command line:

1. Check the system logs: You can check the system logs to see if there are any error messages related to the screen going black. Run the below command to view the system logs.
   
   journalctl -b
   
2. Check for a hardware issue: You can check to see if there is a hardware issue causing the screen to go black by running the below command to view information about your graphics card.
   
   sudo lshw -C display
   
3. Update your graphics driver: You can update your graphics driver by running the command “sudo apt update” and then “sudo apt upgrade” to update all the packages on your system.
   
   Then you can run “sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall” to install the latest proprietary graphics driver.
   
4. Check for a problem with the Xorg server: You can check for a problem with the Xorg server by running the command “sudo service lightdm restart” to restart the display manager.
   
5. Check for a problem with the power settings: You can check the power settings by running the command “cat /sys/class/backlight//brightness” to check the backlight level, and “cat /sys/class/backlight//actual_brightness” to check the actual brightness level. You can also run “xset -q” to check the current settings of the X server.
   
6. Check for a problem with the GPU: You can check for a problem with the GPU by running the command “nvidia-smi” if you have an NVIDIA GPU.
   
7. Try to reinstall the gnome-shell: Try reinstalling the gnome-shell by running the command “sudo apt-get remove gnome-shell” and then “sudo apt-get install gnome-shell“
   
8. Reset your settings: If none of the above solutions work, you can try resetting your settings by running the command “gsettings reset-recursively org.gnome“

It’s worth noting that this issue could be caused by a variety of factors, so it may take some trial and error to find the solution that works for you. If none of the above solutions work, you may want to consider creating a new user account or reinstalling Ubuntu 22.04 to see if the issue persists or not.

Also Read:

Install Wine on Ubuntu 22.04

Install uTorrent on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Install phpMyAdmin on Ubuntu 22.04

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you’re experiencing a black screen on Ubuntu 22.04 randomly, there are several steps you can try to troubleshoot the issue. These include checking the system logs, checking for hardware issues, updating your graphics driver, checking for problems with the Xorg server, checking the power settings, checking the GPU, reinstalling the gnome-shell and resetting your settings. It’s worth noting that this issue could be caused by a variety of factors, so it may take some trial and error to find the solution that works for you. If none of the above solutions work, you may want to consider creating a new user account or reinstalling Ubuntu 22.04 to see if the issue persists or not. It’s always a good idea to backup your important files before attempting any of these steps.