The slideshow feature didn't break or get hidden — it left Ubuntu along with the old image viewer itself. Recent Ubuntu releases ship Loupe as the default image viewer, replacing the long-standing Eye of GNOME (eog). Loupe is intentionally minimal: it opens images quickly and handles basic rotation and cropping, but it currently has no automatic slideshow mode. To get timed, hands-free image playback again, either reinstall Eye of GNOME or switch to a photo application such as Shotwell or gThumb, both of which still include full slideshow support.
Why the feature disappeared
GNOME, the desktop environment Ubuntu builds on, retired Eye of GNOME as its default viewer and replaced it with Loupe, a newer application written for speed and simplicity. Loupe focuses on fast rendering, smooth zooming, and a handful of simple edits. A timed slideshow simply is not part of its feature set yet, and because Ubuntu inherits GNOME's application defaults, an upgrade to the new release swaps your viewer — and quietly takes the slideshow button with it.
Nothing was deleted from your system in a harmful way. Eye of GNOME is still available in the Ubuntu repositories; it just no longer opens your images by default.
Confirm which viewer you are actually running
Before installing anything, check which application currently owns image files. Right-click any picture, choose Open With Another Application (or check Properties → Open With), and see what is listed as the default. From a terminal you can verify it precisely:
xdg-mime query default image/pngIf the output contains org.gnome.Loupe.desktop, Loupe is your default viewer and the missing slideshow is expected. If it shows eog.desktop, the old viewer is still set and you should find its slideshow under the application menu or by pressing F5.
Option 1: Reinstall Eye of GNOME
The fastest way to restore the exact behavior you remember is to bring back the previous viewer:
sudo apt install eogOpen a folder of pictures (or multi-select several in Files and open them together), then press F5 or pick Slideshow from the menu. Under Edit → Preferences you can adjust the delay between slides and enable random or looping playback. If you want Eye of GNOME to handle your images again by default, right-click a picture, choose Open With, select it, and set it as the default — or set it from the command line:
xdg-mime default eog.desktop image/pngRepeat that command for other formats you care about, such as image/jpeg or image/webp. Keep in mind that Eye of GNOME is in maintenance mode upstream, so expect fixes rather than new features.
Option 2: Shotwell for library-wide slideshows
If your photos live in organized collections rather than loose folders, Shotwell is the stronger choice:
sudo apt install shotwellLet it import your pictures, select an event, album, or tag, and start a slideshow with F5 or the toolbar button. Shotwell adds smooth transitions, can play an entire event in order, and doubles as a proper photo manager with editing and export tools — a good fit if the old slideshow was part of how you browsed a growing library.
Option 3: gThumb for folder browsing
gThumb sits between a plain viewer and a full manager. It installs with:
sudo apt install gthumbBrowse to any folder, select the images you want, and launch the slideshow from the View menu. It also offers thumbnails, basic renaming, and simple edits, which makes it a practical everyday replacement if you mostly step through directories of screenshots or camera dumps.
If you would rather stay on Loupe
You can approximate a manual presentation by opening a set of images in Loupe, entering fullscreen, and advancing with the keyboard — but there is no timed auto-advance yet. Loupe is under active development, and features are being added release by release, so it is worth watching the project's issue tracker or Ubuntu release notes to see whether slideshow support returns in a future version.
Avoiding surprises at the next upgrade
Default applications do change between Ubuntu releases. Before upgrading, skim the release notes for the desktop stack, and after upgrading check Settings → Default Applications plus the Open With defaults for the file types you use daily. Keeping a short list of the tools your workflow depends on makes it easy to reinstall them — or their replacements — the moment a default swap removes something you rely on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Loupe missing anything else besides the slideshow?
Yes, a few things. Loupe currently offers viewing, zoom, rotation, and basic crops, but it lacks features that Eye of GNOME had, such as timed slideshows and some metadata display. The application is still evolving, so the gap narrows with each release.
Can I make Eye of GNOME my default image viewer again permanently?
Yes. Right-click an image, choose Open With, select Eye of GNOME, and mark it as the default, or run xdg-mime default eog.desktop image/png for each image type. Loupe remains installed either way, so you can switch back at any time.
Which of the three options is best for showing photos to guests?
For a casual folder of pictures, Eye of GNOME's F5 slideshow is the quickest. For a curated event or vacation set with ordering and transitions, Shotwell gives the most polished result.
Can I change how long each slide stays on screen?
In Eye of GNOME, open Edit → Preferences and set the slide delay, looping, and random order. Shotwell and gThumb also expose transition and timing options in their preferences, though the exact location differs between them.
Will Loupe get the slideshow back in a future Ubuntu release?
There is no committed date. Loupe is actively developed and gains features regularly, so the request is reasonable, but until it ships, the practical answer is to use Eye of GNOME, Shotwell, or gThumb for automatic playback.
Do these alternatives work on Wayland, or do I need X11?
All of them are GTK applications that run fine on Ubuntu's default Wayland session, so no session switching is required to restore slideshow playback.