Many GNOME Shell extensions are updated frequently
Unsure how to update GNOMEextensions? You’re not alone.
I’ve seen a number of people asking how toupdate GNOME Shell extensions these past few weeks, no doubt thanks torecent events in Ubuntu-land causing more people to tryGNOME Shell.
The answer is deliciously simple: you update GNOME extensions fromsame website you install them from, namely extensions.gnome.org.
This is notimmediately obvious.
It used to be worse; inolder versions of GNOME 3 you haveto go out of your way to check for extension updates. Butthe new GNOME Shell Helperthat isrequired to install extensions oftentells you whenan extension is update available.
But clicking on the notification does nothing.
As a result, one common question we seeing GNOME user ask is:“how can I update GNOME Extensions?”.
Updating GNOME Extensions is Easy
To update to the latest compatible version of a GNOME extensions just visit theextensions.gnome.orgwebsite in a compatible web browser like Firefox,Google or GNOME Web (Epiphany).
Across the top of the website are four links: ‘Extensions’, ‘Add Yours’, ‘Installed extensions’ and ‘About’.
Click on the “Installed Extensions” option.
You’ll see a list of the GNOME extensions you have installed on your system. Next to each are a couple of buttons to enable/disable, configure and remove them.
Extensions which have an update available will displaya green box with an upwards-facing arrow in it. This icon tells you a new version of the extension is available.
Click this icon.
You’ll be prompted to download and install the update.
And that’s all there is to it.
FAQs
Click on the “Installed Extensions” option. You'll see a list of the GNOME extensions you have installed on your system. Next to each are a couple of buttons to enable/disable, configure and remove them. Extensions which have an update available will display a green box with an upwards-facing arrow in it.
How do you refresh the GNOME Shell extensions? ›
When an extension is reloaded the current session must be restarted to load the changes into memory (unless the extension changes from the ERROR state to the ENABLED state). If the current session is an Xorg session the Alt F2 r sequence can be used to perform the restart.
How to update GNOME on Ubuntu? ›
If you see your GNOME package (e.g., ubuntu-gnome-desktop), you'll know an update is available. Type sudo apt upgrade name-of-package and press ↵ Enter . For example, sudo apt upgrade ubuntu-gnome-desktop for GNOME Desktop. This installs the latest update for your version of GNOME.
How to manage GNOME extensions Ubuntu? ›
Additionally, we can install it on our system to manage our shell extensions.
- 2.1. Installing gnome-shell-extensions Package. Firstly, let's open our terminal and update the system packages: $ sudo apt update. ...
- 2.2. Adding New Extensions. ...
- 2.3. Disabling Built-in Extensions. ...
- 2.4. Removing Manually Installed Extensions.
Open you Firefox browser and click on the GNOME extension icon. Search for and select an extension you wish to install. Flip the provided switch to install the desired extension.
How do I update GNOME extensions? ›
To update to the latest compatible version of a GNOME extensions just visit the extensions.gnome.org website in a compatible web browser like Firefox, Google or GNOME Web (Epiphany). Across the top of the website are four links: 'Extensions', 'Add Yours', 'Installed extensions' and 'About'.
How do I reset my GNOME extensions? ›
Navigate to /org/gnome/shell/extensions , right-click on the extension whose settings you'd like to reset ("awesome-tiles" in my case), and go to "Reset recursively", as shown below. Do this for any settings (keys) you'd like to reset to defaults.
How do you refresh GNOME in Ubuntu? ›
The hot-key sequence for that press and hold keys <Alts> and <F2>. That will bring up the run dialog box. Press the keys <r> then <Enter>, You will see a popup saying "Restarting". That will restart the session, without logging you off or closing the open applications.
How do I update the shell version in Ubuntu? ›
How to install the newest versions of all installed packages on Ubuntu
- $ sudo apt-get upgrade. OR.
- $ sudo apt upgrade. Sometimes a new Linux kernel is installed to fix security bugs at the kernel level. ...
- $ uname -r. Then:
- $ sudo reboot. After reboot again see new Linux kernel version, type uname command:
- Create a new folder called . themes in your home directory (mkdir ~/. themes).
- Extract the folder inside the zip file into the . themes folder. You may need to show the hidden files by using CTRL + H.
- Reopen gnome-tweaks.
- Select your theme under Appearance. Remember to select it as the application theme and shell theme.
You can determine the version of GNOME that is running on your system by going to the About panel in Settings.
- Open the Activities overview and start typing About.
- A window appears showing information about your system, including your distribution's name and the GNOME version.
Currently, the only "official" way of installing GNOME extensions is by manually visiting https://extensions.gnome.org with a browser, browsing/searching for a desired extension there, then clicking on the blue "Install" button on the extension's detail page.
How to update Gnome tweaks? ›
Installation of GNOME Tweaks on Ubuntu
- Step 1: Open the Terminal.
- Step 2: Update your System.
- Step 3: Confirm that the universe repository is enabled on your system. ...
- Step 4: We can now go ahead and install the Gnome Tweak Tool.
View installed extensions
Press Alt + F2 , type in lg and press Enter to open Looking Glass. On the top bar of Looking Glass, click Extensions to open the list of installed extensions.
How to install classic GNOME in Ubuntu? ›
sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions
Select the Log Out option from the System Menu on the top right of the Gnome desktop. Pressing the button at the bottom of the login screen will pop up the list of desktops. Select the GNOME Classic from the list. Enter the password and log in.
How do I refresh a .desktop gnome? ›
If a Gnome desktop and Xmanager window are mismatched, you'll need to take the following actions to refresh the screen: Press Alt+F2 on the desktop to open the command execution dialog box. Then execute the 'r' or 'restart' command.
How do you reload the GNOME Shell? ›
restart("Restarting…")' This example is equal to Alt + F2 + R keyboard combination to reload gnome.
How do you refresh the Gnome panel? ›
If you mean your Gnome Desktop get's locked up and your want to try to reset it without logging out... <Alt><F2>,<r> does a refresh...
How do I refresh Gnome tweaks? ›
Press Alt+F2 and enter r to restart GNOME Shell. Restart GNOME Tweaks tool as well. You should see the manually installed GNOME extension in the Tweak tool now.
by Joey Sneddon · Updated · Comment 
