How to Change the Background Color of GNOME Desktop in Fedora Linux

Learn how to change the background color of your GNOME desktop in Fedora Linux with this easy tutorial.

GNOME is one of the most popular desktop environments for Linux users. It offers a sleek and modern interface with many customization options. One of the things you can customize is the background color of your desktop. This can help you create a more personalized and comfortable workspace.

In this article, we will show you how to change the background color of your GNOME desktop in Fedora Linux using two methods: using the GNOME Settings app and using the dconf Editor tool.

Method 1: Using the GNOME Settings app

The GNOME Settings app is a graphical tool that lets you configure various aspects of your GNOME desktop, such as display, keyboard, mouse, network, and more. You can also use it to change the background color of your desktop. Here are the steps to do so:

1. Open the GNOME Settings app by clicking on the Activities button at the top left corner of your screen and typing “settings” in the search box. Alternatively, you can press the Super key (Windows key) and type “settings” in the search box.
2. In the Settings app, click on the Background option in the left sidebar. You will see two tabs: Background and Lock Screen. Click on the Background tab.
3. You will see a list of predefined wallpapers that you can choose from. To change the background color, click on the Color option at the bottom of the list. You will see a color picker that allows you to select any color you want. You can also adjust the brightness and saturation of the color by dragging the sliders below the color picker.
4. Once you have selected your desired color, click on the Select button at the top right corner of the color picker. You will see the background color of your desktop change immediately.

Method 2: Using the dconf Editor tool

The dconf Editor tool is a low-level configuration tool that lets you edit the settings of various GNOME applications and components. You can also use it to change the background color of your desktop. However, this method is more advanced and requires some caution, as changing the wrong settings can cause problems with your system. Here are the steps to use the dconf Editor tool to change the background color of your desktop:

1. Install the dconf Editor tool by opening a terminal and typing the following command: sudo dnf install dconf-editor
2. Open the dconf Editor tool by clicking on the Activities button at the top left corner of your screen and typing “dconf editor” in the search box. Alternatively, you can press the Super key (Windows key) and type “dconf editor” in the search box.
3. In the dconf Editor tool, navigate to the following path: /org/gnome/desktop/background/
4. You will see a list of settings related to the desktop background. To change the background color, you need to edit two settings: color-shading-type and primary-color.
5. The color-shading-type setting determines how the background color is applied. You can choose from four options: solid, vertical, horizontal, and none. The solid option applies a single color to the entire background. The vertical option applies a gradient from the primary color to the secondary color from top to bottom. The horizontal option applies a gradient from the primary color to the secondary color from left to right. The none option disables the background color and shows the wallpaper instead. To change the color-shading-type setting, double-click on it and select your desired option from the drop-down menu.
6. The primary-color setting determines the main color of the background. You can enter any color code in the format #RRGGBB, where RR, GG, and BB are the hexadecimal values of the red, green, and blue components of the color. For example, #FF0000 is the color code for red, #00FF00 is the color code for green, and #0000FF is the color code for blue. To change the primary-color setting, double-click on it and enter your desired color code in the text box.
7. If you have chosen the vertical or horizontal option for the color-shading-type setting, you also need to change the secondary-color setting, which determines the other color of the gradient. You can enter any color code in the same format as the primary-color setting. To change the secondary-color setting, double-click on it and enter your desired color code in the text box.
8. Once you have changed the settings, you will see the background color of your desktop change immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How do I change the background color of the lock screen in GNOME?

Answer: You can change the background color of the lock screen in GNOME using the same methods as the desktop background. However, you need to use a different path in the dconf Editor tool: /org/gnome/desktop/screensaver/. You will see the same settings as the desktop background: color-shading-type, primary-color, and secondary-color. You can edit them in the same way as the desktop background.

Question: How do I change the background image of the desktop or the lock screen in GNOME?

Answer: You can change the background image of the desktop or the lock screen in GNOME using the GNOME Settings app. In the Settings app, click on the Background option in the left sidebar. You will see two tabs: Background and Lock Screen. Click on the tab that corresponds to the screen you want to change. You will see a list of predefined wallpapers that you can choose from. To use your own image, click on the Picture option at the bottom of the list. You will see a file chooser that allows you to browse and select any image file from your computer. Once you have selected your desired image, click on the Select button at the top right corner of the file chooser. You will see the background image of your screen change immediately.

Question: How do I reset the background settings to the default values in GNOME?

Answer: You can reset the background settings to the default values in GNOME using the dconf Editor tool. In the dconf Editor tool, navigate to the following path: /org/gnome/desktop/background/ for the desktop background or /org/gnome/desktop/screensaver/ for the lock screen background. You will see a list of settings related to the background. To reset a setting to the default value, right-click on it and select the Reset option from the context menu. You will see the background of your screen change to the default value.

Summary

In this article, we have learned how to change the background color of your GNOME desktop in Fedora Linux using two methods: using the GNOME Settings app and using the dconf Editor tool. We have also answered some frequently asked questions related to the topic. We hope you have found this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.