The Ubuntu login loop is a frustrating problem that makes it impossible for you to log in. We describe six different issues that can cause this behavior and how to fix them.

What Is a Login Loop on Ubuntu?

The Ubuntu login loop is a problem that returns you to the login screen instead of logging you in and presenting you with your desktop. It’s as if your credentials are being rejected, but that’s not the case. It’s just not letting you in. Even though you’re definitely typing in the correct user name and password, you’re bounced right back to the login screen.

Of all the possible problems with a computer, not being able to log in is one of the scariest. If you can’t get in, how can you fix it? Thankfully, Linux provides us with more than one way to log in, and we can leverage that to our advantage in this scenario.

Actually, this problem can happen to other distributions as well. It seems to have been tagged the “Ubuntu login loop” because there’s an impression that it’s reported on computers running Ubuntu more frequently than on other distributions. I suspect that’s because there’s more computers running Ubuntu Linux than any other distribution.

The system administrator role includes creating users, deleting users, and reviewing existing users. They also control who can, and cannot, use root‘s elevated powers. Here’s how to do that on Ubuntu Linux.

What to Know About Managing Users in Ubuntu

Multi-user systems require a distinct user account for each person who uses the computer. Each users has their own password, and their own private area for data. Normal users cannot access another user’s data. The root user can access anything, of course.

It’s the root user who manages user accounts. They must create an account when a new user needs to use the computer, and they delete old accounts when they’re no longer required.

Apart from creation and deletion, other changes may be required during the lifetime of the account. The user may forget their password, and need it to have it reset. They may join another department or team and need to be added to the appropriate user group. They may even be promoted and be awarded root privileges. These common tasks fall on the system administration team. If you’re the administrator on duty—or the only one in the team—you’re expected to complete these tasks quickly and easily.

Here’s a round-up of how to carry out these common tasks on Ubuntu. Because they use standard tools, you can use them on other distributions too, but we’ll be featuring Ubuntu in the screenshots.

Why Use the Command Line?

The command line came long before graphical desktop environments appeared. It was the primary way to use and administer Unix, the operating system that Linux is based on.

There are hundreds of commands available on the Linux command line, and many of these have dozens of options. This delivers granularity, power, speed, and flexibility. The trouble is, that blinking cursor in a terminal window isn’t welcoming, and the prospect of learning all of those commands and options can be overwhelming to the newcomer.

Standard Ubuntu installs don’t include the Linux make utility. It’s used mainly by software developers, but even non-coders may need it in some situations. Here’s how to install make on Ubuntu Linux.

ShellGPT is a Python program that lets you access OpenAI’s ChatGPT from the command line of a terminal window. It sends your text prompts and your ChatGPT API key to ChatGPT and prints out ChatGPT’s response.

It’s just like running ChatGPT on your own computer, without any of the hassle, and regardless of the computing power of your computer. You’ll need to have a ChatGPT API key, but it only takes moments to get one, and they’re free.

ChatGPT is probably the most famous of the new-wave of large language model AI chatbots, developed using deep learning techniques and massive data sets.

It’s able to hold convincing and lifelike conversations, and can generate prose and other text format responses on just about any topic you can imagine. Just keep in mind that it’s a simulation of a knowledgeable, intelligent person. It isn’t genuinely intelligent, and it’ll happily make stuff up.

None of the following steps are difficult, and you should be up and running in ten minutes or so.

If your Linux computer can’t boot into its operating system, you’re likely to find yourself staring at a prompt in the GRUB shell. Follow these steps to repair your broken boot processes.

Has your Excel, Word, or Outlook app’s ribbon suddenly disappeared? It’s easy to hide it accidentally, and sometimes the tabs disappear too. In either case, you can bring it back in your Office app on your Windows or Mac machine in a few clicks.

Note: The following guide uses Excel for demonstration. You’ll use the same steps in both Word and Outlook.

Docker’s normally used to containerise background applications and CLI programs. You can also use it to run graphical programs though! You can either use an existing X Server, where the host machine is already running a graphical environment, or you can run a VNC server within the container.

First it’s important to understand what Docker actually does. A Docker “container” is a form of encapsulation which seems to be superficially similar to a virtual machine. Unlike a virtual machine, containers share the same Linux kernel as their host system.

The next component is the X Window System. X Servers such as Xorg provide the fundamental graphical capabilities of Unix systems. GUI applications can’t render without an X Server available. (Alternative windowing systems, such as Wayland, are available – we’re focusing on X in this article.)

Trying to run an X Server in Docker is theoretically possible but rarely used. You’d need to run Docker in privileged mode (--privileged) so it could access your host’s hardware. Starting the server would try to claim your video devices, usually resulting in loss of video output as your host’s original X server gets its devices yanked away.

A better approach is to mount your host’s X Server socket into the Docker container. This allows your container to use the X Server you already have. GUI applications running in the container would then appear on your existing desktop.

If your Arch Linux computer supports Bluetooth but you’re not using it, it’ll just be wasting power. Instead of turning it off whenever you boot your computer, disable the Bluetooth service instead.

If your Steam Deck suffers from SteamOS-related issues—failing to boot, being unresponsive or any other similar problem—you might want to reinstall or reimage SteamOS.