AnyDesk “Display server not supported” on Ubuntu 24.04 (Wayland → X11 fix)
Windows & Ubuntu Guides · 17 views · 🧭 Guided walkthrough
Seeing AnyDesk say “Display server not supported” on Ubuntu 24.04? It’s almost always because Ubuntu is running on Wayland, and AnyDesk needs X11. This guide checks your display server, switches to X11 if needed, and gets AnyDesk running again. Do the steps in order.
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**Problem:** On Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, AnyDesk shows **“Display server not supported.”**
**Most likely cause:** Ubuntu 24.04 defaults to the **Wayland** display server, but AnyDesk requires **X11**.
**Why this happens:** AnyDesk’s Linux client captures the screen through the **X11** display protocol (the X server). Ubuntu 24.04 ships with **Wayland** as its default display server instead, and Wayland deliberately sandboxes apps from grabbing the whole screen (a security design). Because AnyDesk can’t hook into Wayland the same way, it reports *“Display server not supported.”* Switching the session back to **X11 (Xorg)** gives AnyDesk the screen access it needs — which is what the steps below do.
Work through these in order (use the step-by-step walkthrough above for a guided version).
### 1. Check the current display server
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
`wayland` = that’s the issue. `x11` = skip to step 5.
### 2. Switch from Wayland to X11
sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf
Change `#WaylandEnable=false` to `WaylandEnable=false` (remove the #). Save: Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X.
### 3. Reboot
sudo reboot
Then verify: `echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE` should print `x11`.
### 4. If still Wayland — pick Xorg at login
Log out → select user → ⚙️ gear icon → **Ubuntu on Xorg** → log in → verify `echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE` = `x11`.
### 5. Restart AnyDesk
sudo systemctl restart anydesk
systemctl status anydesk --no-pager
Want: `Active: active (running)`.
### 6. Enable AnyDesk on boot
sudo systemctl enable anydesk
systemctl is-enabled anydesk # expected: enabled
### 7. Check / update AnyDesk
anydesk --version
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade anydesk
### 8. Confirm the display
echo $DISPLAY # normally :0
ls -l /tmp/.X11-unix/ # normally shows X0
AnyDesk should now connect. If not, raise a ticket with the output of steps 1 and 5.
**Most likely cause:** Ubuntu 24.04 defaults to the **Wayland** display server, but AnyDesk requires **X11**.
**Why this happens:** AnyDesk’s Linux client captures the screen through the **X11** display protocol (the X server). Ubuntu 24.04 ships with **Wayland** as its default display server instead, and Wayland deliberately sandboxes apps from grabbing the whole screen (a security design). Because AnyDesk can’t hook into Wayland the same way, it reports *“Display server not supported.”* Switching the session back to **X11 (Xorg)** gives AnyDesk the screen access it needs — which is what the steps below do.
Work through these in order (use the step-by-step walkthrough above for a guided version).
### 1. Check the current display server
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
`wayland` = that’s the issue. `x11` = skip to step 5.
### 2. Switch from Wayland to X11
sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf
Change `#WaylandEnable=false` to `WaylandEnable=false` (remove the #). Save: Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X.
### 3. Reboot
sudo reboot
Then verify: `echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE` should print `x11`.
### 4. If still Wayland — pick Xorg at login
Log out → select user → ⚙️ gear icon → **Ubuntu on Xorg** → log in → verify `echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE` = `x11`.
### 5. Restart AnyDesk
sudo systemctl restart anydesk
systemctl status anydesk --no-pager
Want: `Active: active (running)`.
### 6. Enable AnyDesk on boot
sudo systemctl enable anydesk
systemctl is-enabled anydesk # expected: enabled
### 7. Check / update AnyDesk
anydesk --version
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade anydesk
### 8. Confirm the display
echo $DISPLAY # normally :0
ls -l /tmp/.X11-unix/ # normally shows X0
AnyDesk should now connect. If not, raise a ticket with the output of steps 1 and 5.
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