Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with XFCE Desktop

Azure Operating Systems

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with the XFCE desktop over xrdp: no default password, remote desktop switched off until you turn it on, and a TLS certificate generated on each machine at first boot.

Base

Hardened build

minimal ports, security patches applied at build time

Access

Unique credentials

generated on first boot, readable only by root

Verified

Boots working

services pass a health gate before release

Support

24/7, 365 days

by email and live chat, 24 hour response SLA

Overview

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with XFCE Desktop is Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS with the XFCE 4.20 desktop added and xrdp 0.10 set up for remote login. You connect with any RDP client, the xrdp login box appears, and you sign in to a full XFCE session running on the virtual machine, with the Applications menu, Thunar file manager, XFCE Terminal and the XFCE settings manager ready to use.

XFCE is a deliberately light desktop, so it leaves far more of the machine to your own work than a full GNOME session does: measured here, the desktop idles at roughly 600 MB, which is why the image is sized for Standard_B2s rather than a larger SKU. It suits cloud workstations for Linux development and graphical administration, engineering and data tools that should run close to your cloud resources, training labs, thin-client and VDI style estates, and a secure jump desktop reached only through an SSH tunnel. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS carries standard security maintenance to May 2031. Networking, provisioning and updates work exactly as on Ubuntu Server, and anything else you need installs with apt.

One thing to know before you deploy: the desktop stack here (xfce4, xrdp, xorgxrdp and LightDM) comes from Ubuntu's universe archive, which is maintained by the Ubuntu community rather than by Canonical. Canonical's guaranteed security-update commitment for universe packages is available only under an Ubuntu Pro subscription, which is not included with this image. The image is fully patched from the public Ubuntu archive when it is built and unattended-upgrades keeps installing what the archive publishes, but if your policy requires a guaranteed fix timeline for every installed package, attach your own Ubuntu Pro subscription or choose a desktop built entirely from main.

Why the cloudimg image

cloudimg builds the desktop so that a new machine exposes nothing but SSH. Remote desktop ships switched off, no account has a password, and the RDP server refuses to start until you have set your own. There is no separate RDP credential to leak: xrdp authenticates through PAM against your own Linux account password, so the machine has no usable login at all until you create one. Each machine generates its own TLS certificate and xrdp host key at first boot, readable by root only, so nothing is shared between machines or baked into the image. The session manager reaches the server over a local socket rather than a network port, and every remote-proxy session module is stripped from the configuration, so the login box cannot be used to make your machine open connections elsewhere. A single helper command shows the remote desktop state, turns it on and turns it off again. The image is fully patched at build time and backed by 24/7 support.

Common uses

Linux cloud workstations and remote desktops
Graphical administration close to your cloud resources
Training labs and thin-client or VDI estates

See it running

Real screenshots taken while testing this image against its deployment guide.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with XFCE Desktop screenshot 1

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with XFCE Desktop screenshot 2

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with XFCE Desktop screenshot 3

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with XFCE Desktop screenshot 4

Overview

Why the cloudimg image

Common uses

See it running

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