Try to use Desktop Environment (XFCE) from WSL

wsl_kali_xfce4_gui.md

I. Disclaimer

• This script is a copied of https://gist.github.com/tdcosta100/7def60bccc8ae32cf9cacb41064b1c0f but "converted" for Kali inside WSL
• Set DPI inside WSL doesn't work (command xfconf-query -c xsettings -p /Gdk/WindowScalingFactor -n -t int -s 2 works but it creates a glitch that windows manager won't run). To increate DPI, user can change WSL settings (however, the quality of text in WSL will be really bad) (check https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/issues/590)

Save this file C:/users/username/.wslgconfig, then wsl --shutdown. File's contents:

[system-distro-env]
WESTON_RDP_HI_DPI_SCALING=true
WESTON_RDP_FRACTIONAL_HI_DPI_SCALING=true
WESTON_RDP_DEBUG_DESKTOP_SCALING_FACTOR=150

II. Installation

• Install XFCE4 and dconf-cli (dconf's database is required, kali-menu will allows X11 to find shortcuts / launchers) sudo apt install xfce4 dconf-cli kali-menu xfce4-terminal
• Generate dconf sudo mkdir -p /etc/dconf/db/local.d then sudo dconf update (make sure ls /etc/dconf/db/local -lah shows a file (not empty file)
• Removed lightlocker because it cause session error in message sudo apt purge light-locker -y
• (MAYBE need to mask lightdm service first) sudo systemctl mask lightdm.service

III. Running

• First, shutdown wsl wsl --shutdown
• Start this command

DESKTOP_SESSION=lightdm-xsession \
GDMSESSION=lightdm-xsession \
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=XFCE \
XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11 \
GDK_BACKEND=x11 \
LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 \
startxfce4

(Can replace startxfce4 by xfce4-panel to have only panels from XFCE)

What worked:

• XFCE4 panels and windows manager

What didn't work / error:

• XFCE4 and Windows Manager are running in 2 different processes
• Scale doesn't work so small monitor might have trouble
• XFCE shows popup of wayland compositor error. Compositor doesn't work (neither does xfce4 tweak manager)