Linux login screens: SDDM themes and greeters
The login screen comes from a display manager: SDDM (the KDE default), GDM (GNOME), LightDM, Ly, or greetd with a greeter on top. Some entries here are themes for an existing display manager, like the SDDM themes; others replace the display manager itself, like Ly, or provide a greeter for greetd, like tuigreet, ReGreet and nwg-hello.
Both kinds change system files and need sudo, and switching display managers changes which service starts at boot. Read the steps before running them, and know how to reach a text console in case the new login screen does not start.
7 entries · each pinned to an exact upstream version · updated
All 7 entries, compared
Filter in the catalogue →| Setup | Works with | Difficulty | What it changes | Maintenance | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ly display managerLightweight TUI display manager with matrix and doom animations. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 7.6k |
 SDDM AstronautModern animated SDDM theme with many presets. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 3.3k |
 tuigreetConsole greeter for greetd. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 1.8k |
 ReGreetClean, customizable GTK4 greeter for greetd. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 830 |
 Catppuccin SDDMCatppuccin theme for the SDDM display manager. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 530 |
 Sugar DarkClean, dark SDDM login theme. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Quiet | Stars: 310 |
| Works with: Any desktop (Wayland) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 104 |
How to choose
- Already on SDDM? A theme is the smallest change.
- Want something minimal? Ly or tuigreet run in the console with almost no dependencies.
- On a Wayland-only setup, a greetd greeter avoids pulling in a full display manager.
Questions
What is the difference between a display manager and a greeter?
The display manager starts your session after you log in; the greeter is the screen where you type your password. greetd is a display manager that leaves the interface to a separate greeter.
What if my new login screen does not start?
Switch to a text console with Ctrl+Alt+F2 (or F3), log in, and re-enable your previous display manager with systemctl, then reboot.
Do SDDM themes work without KDE?
Yes. SDDM runs with any desktop or window manager; the theme only changes the login screen.