May 23, 2026

Customizing the GNOME desktop on Fedora

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Hey Fedora friends! Want to make your GNOME desktop feel a little more… *you*? Fedora comes with a beautiful, clean GNOME experience right out of the box, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with the defaults. Let's dive into some easy ways to customize your GNOME desktop and make it truly your own.

Changing Your Theme and Icons

One of the quickest ways to dramatically change the look and feel of your desktop is by changing the theme and icons. Fedora doesn't come with a ton of themes pre-installed, but don't worry! We can easily grab some from the internet.

First, you'll need the "GNOME Tweaks" tool. If you don't have it already, open your terminal and install it:

sudo dnf install gnome-tweaks

Now, go to a website like GNOME-Look.org and browse for themes and icon sets you like. Download the `.tar.gz` or `.zip` files. Usually, they'll tell you where to extract them, but generally:

  • Themes go in ~/.themes (create the folder if it doesn't exist).
  • Icons go in ~/.icons (create the folder if it doesn't exist).

Extract the downloaded files to the correct directory using your file manager or the terminal. For example, to extract a theme called "MyCoolTheme.tar.gz" into the .themes directory, you could use:

tar -xvf MyCoolTheme.tar.gz -C ~/.themes

Once the files are extracted, open GNOME Tweaks. You can find it by searching for "Tweaks" in your application menu. Go to the "Appearance" section. Here, you'll be able to select your new theme under "Applications" (which changes the window decorations and overall theme) and your new icon set under "Icons". Experiment and find what you like!

Adding Extensions for More Functionality

GNOME extensions are like little add-ons that can add all sorts of functionality to your desktop. You can get things like custom docks, weather indicators in your top bar, and much more.

First, you need to install the GNOME Shell integration extension for your browser. Visit extensions.gnome.org. The website will guide you through installing the necessary browser extension. You'll likely also need to install the `chrome-gnome-shell` package:

sudo dnf install chrome-gnome-shell

After that, you can browse the extension catalog and install extensions with a simple click! Some popular extensions include:

  • Dash to Dock: Moves the application dock to the bottom or side of the screen and lets you customize its appearance.
  • Clipboard Indicator: Keeps a history of your clipboard contents, so you can easily access previously copied items.
  • OpenWeather: Displays weather information in your top bar.

You can manage your installed extensions using the Extensions app (which is often pre-installed, or you can install it via sudo dnf install gnome-extensions-app).

Customizing the Top Bar

The top bar in GNOME is useful, but you can customize it a bit. Using GNOME Tweaks, you can:

  • Show the date in addition to the time.
  • Show the weekday in the clock.
  • Move the clock to the right side of the bar (using extensions).

Some extensions can also add functionality to the top bar, like the OpenWeather extension we mentioned earlier.

Don't Be Afraid to Experiment!

The best way to customize your GNOME desktop is to play around with different themes, icons, and extensions. Don't be afraid to try new things! If you mess something up, you can always revert back to the default settings. Happy customizing!