The Unexpected Command Prompt
If you recently installed a specific development tool, a custom script, or if you simply closed your computer down while a terminal window was heavily active, you might find that Ubuntu Linux automatically launches a blank GNOME Terminal window every single time you boot the system and log in. While power users might appreciate having immediate access to the command line, it is jarring and unnecessary for casual users who just want to reach their desktop.
How to Remove Terminal from Startup Applications
The most common reason for this behavior is that the terminal has been explicitly added to your user account’s startup routine.
1. Open the GNOME Application Menu (press the Super/Windows key).
2. Type Startup Applications and press Enter to launch the utility.
3. Look through the list of “Additional startup programs.”
4. If you see an entry named Terminal or GNOME Terminal, click on it to highlight it.
5. Click the Remove button on the right side of the window.
6. Click Close.
How to Clear Saved GNOME Sessions
If the terminal is not in your Startup Applications list, the issue is likely caused by GNOME’s session management. GNOME might be configured to “remember” the applications that were open when you last shut down.
1. Open your terminal (ironically).
2. We need to reset the saved session state using the `dconf` configuration tool. Run the following command:
gsettings set org.gnome.SessionManager auto-save-session false
3. Next, manually clear the existing saved session files from your user directory so GNOME is forced to start fresh. Run this command:
rm -rf ~/.config/gnome-session/saved-session
4. Reboot your computer.
Upon your next login, the desktop will load cleanly without throwing a terminal window in your face.