How do I reset Ubuntu desktop to default?
Andrew Rivera
Updated on March 20, 2026
How do I reset Ubuntu desktop to default?
Open the terminal window by right clicking on your desktop and selecting the Open Terminal menu. By resetting your GNOME desktop settings you will remove all current desktop configurations whether it be wallpapers, icon, shortcuts etc. All done. Your GNOME desktop should now be reset.
How do I switch to Gnome Classic?
To switch from GNOME to GNOME Classic:
- Save any open work, and then log out.
- A confirmation message will appear.
- At the login screen, select your name from the list.
- Enter your password in the password entry box.
- Click the options icon, which is displayed to the left of the Sign In button, and select GNOME Classic.
How do I go back to Gnome on Ubuntu?
If you would like to switch back to classic Gnome, first you need to log out. After you select your username, click on the drop-down menu at the bottom and select Ubuntu Classic, and log back in again.
How do I reset my Linux desktop?
Step-by-step instructions:
- Log out of the graphical desktop environment.
- Press Ctrl-Alt-F1 to reach a text-only login screen.
- Log in to the text-only environment.
- After logging in, type ssh julia , and enter your password again.
- At the julia prompt, type lsumath-restore-desktop-defaults .
How do I restore my Gnome desktop?
Open the drop-down of Tweaks menu at the top bar of your Desktop. You will get an option “Reset to defaults” and click on it. This will prompt for the final confirmation to complete Gnome reset to its original settings. Click the OK button to complete your task.
How do I reinstall Ubuntu desktop?
Here are the steps to follow for reinstalling Ubuntu.
- Step 1: Create a live USB. First, download Ubuntu from its website. You can download whichever Ubuntu version you want to use. Download Ubuntu.
- Step 2: Reinstall Ubuntu. Once you have got the live USB of Ubuntu, plugin the USB. Reboot your system.
How do I change my Gnome desktop?
You can switch between workspaces in any of the following ways:
- Use Workspace Switcher. Click on the workspace that you want to switch to in Workspace Switcher .
- Use shortcut keys. The default shortcut keys to switch between the workspaces are as follows: Default Shortcut Keys. Function. Ctrl + Alt + right arrow.
What is Gnome Classic?
GNOME Classic is a GNOME Shell feature and mode for users who prefer a more traditional desktop experience. While GNOME Classic is based on GNOME 3 technologies, it provides a number of changes to the user interface: The Applications and Places menus. The user can also open the Activities Overview from that menu.
How do I go back to GNOME desktop?
To change back to either KDE or Gnome, press F10 and select the desktop manager of your choice. If you changed from the previous desktop manager, you can make it the default at the next logon.
How do I get back to GNOME?
Alt + Win + Right Click over the Wastebasket and move to the bottom right. Now we need to change the number of workspaces back to two. Optional: You can install fonts-cantarell if you want to use the default upstream GNOME font.
Can you reinstall Ubuntu without losing data?
Installing Ubuntu fresh will not affect a user’s personal data and files unless he instructs the installation process to format a drive or partition. The wording in the steps that will do this is Erase disk and install Ubuntu , and Format Partition .