Advanced
Wayland and X11
What they do behind your desktop, and when the difference matters.
What do they do?
Wayland and X11 are two ways for apps to work with your desktop: showing windows on screen and receiving input from your mouse and keyboard.
They’re part of what runs underneath your desktop environment. Switching between them doesn’t mean switching distros or changing all your apps.
What is Wayland?
Wayland is the newer approach, designed to replace X11 with a simpler system. Your desktop handles how windows are displayed and how input reaches each app.
Its benefits include:
- Better separation between apps: Wayland apps don’t automatically get to read what you type into other apps or capture their windows.
- Better support for different screens: Desktops can handle each monitor’s scaling and refresh rate separately, which helps when using a laptop alongside an external monitor.
- A simpler design: Less old machinery to work around makes it easier for developers to maintain and add new features.
The exact features depend on your desktop. Screen sharing and remote access also need apps that support Wayland.
Wayland website (opens in a new tab)
What is X11?
X11 is the older system that Linux desktops have used for decades. You’ll also see Xorg, the software commonly used to provide it.
Some older apps and desktop tools were built around X11. An X11 session can still be useful if a particular app or feature doesn’t work properly on Wayland, provided your desktop still offers it.
Its older design has some drawbacks:
- Less separation between apps: Apps connected to the same X11 desktop can generally read each other’s input or capture the screen.
- More awkward display setups: Different screen sizes, scaling settings, and refresh rates can be harder to handle together.
- More complexity to maintain: Decades of older features make it harder to change, even when modern desktops no longer need them.
X.Org website (opens in a new tab)
Will older apps work on Wayland?
Many do. Xwayland lets X11 apps run alongside Wayland apps on the same desktop. Your distro normally handles this for you.
That doesn’t make every old tool compatible. Apps that record the screen, control other windows, or provide remote access may need specific Wayland support.
More about Xwayland (opens in a new tab)
Which should I use?
Linux desktops are moving towards Wayland. It’s the direction for newer desktop features, but your distro will normally have chosen a suitable default for you.
Use what your distro provides. You don’t need to choose or install either yourself just to get started.