Switching window manager/desktop environments?

Just install the one that you want. For example to install LXDE, just press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open Terminal. When it opens, run the command below.

sudo apt-get install lxde

for XFCE

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

for Gnome

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Once you install the one you want, log out, choose the one you want, and log back in.

This confused me too. Once a new new desktop environment is installed using apt as described by @Mitch, then it can be difficult to see where the option is at login in the Gnome Display Manager (GDM) to select your desktop. As @DanFromGermany said, the icon is next to your login.

In this picture on 13.10, you'll see that there is an icon to the right of my login name on the GDM screen - marked with a red arrow. This icon shows the desktop that will be active when you log in.

If you click this icon, you will get a list of the desktops available on this system.

Pick the one you want and log in - that desktop should then be available.

There is a bug in awesome-ws, preventing it from showing up in the lightdm/gdm/kdm list.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/awesome/+bug/1094811

Delete `NoDisplay=true' in /usr/share/xsessions/awesome.desktop solves the problem.

If this is solved, you have an icon next to your login where you can switch the window managers.