No desktop icons on Ubuntu 19.04 after upgrade

gnome-shell desktop-environments 19.04 desktop-icons

5,219

This is a new "feature" in GNOME 3.32 which is used in Ubuntu 19.04. Basically, only folders are allowed on the Desktop proper. To get to previous icons that were on the desktop, open a Files (Nautilus) window and click on Desktop in the left pane. Suggest that you create a new "Work in Progress" folder on your desktop, and move all of your previous Desktop items into there.

Go to here and configure the Desktop Icons GNOME extension...

If you don't see Desktop Icons, you can get it here.

Update #1:

The user upgraded from 17.10 to 19.04, and there are "leftovers" from previous Ubuntu versions in 19.04 causing crashes. Backup your data, do a fresh install of 19.04, and restore your data.

Update #2:

From the user... "I wiped everything and started over again and have finally got everything installed and configured now."

5,219

Trevor Orr

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Trevor Orr over 1 year
I upgraded to Ubuntu 19.04 from 17.10 and now I do not have anything on my desktop at all. I am running this on Virtual Box 6. I know enough about Unix to be dangerous, I just use it for developing websites.

From looking around various articles I have tried these commands as suggested but nothing has worked, any ideas?

From SSH I have tried these:
```
sudo apt-get install --reinstall ubuntu-desktop
sudo apt install --reinstall gnome-shell-extension-desktop-icons
sudo apt install --reinstall gnome
```
- Trevor Orr almost 5 years
  
  I have tried installing the desktop icons with apt, the other thing it suggests (installing tweaks) I can't do because I have nothing on my desktop at all just the background color (purple of whatever it is)
- Charles Green almost 5 years
  
  You don't need to use the GUI to start the application. Open a terminal window, and enter the command gnome-tweaks. If it requires instalation, you can do this with sudo apt install gnome-tweaks
- mikewhatever almost 5 years
  
  Apparently, this is a feature of Gnome3. Desktop icons had been removed a few years ago.
- Trevor Orr almost 5 years
  
  I ran: sudo apt install gnome-tweaks and got this. gnome-tweaks is already the newest version (3.32.0-1). gnome-tweaks set to manually installed.
- Boris Hamanov almost 5 years
  
  @mikewhatever Desktop icons have always been there, up until 19.04, then GNOME 3.32 removed them (except for folders, basically).
- mikewhatever almost 5 years
  
  @heynnema Well, what about this and this? I don't actually use Gnome, so may be wrong, but are those guys wrong too?
- Boris Hamanov almost 5 years
  
  @mikewhatever Those links are over a year old... and yes... they're wrong... but also Ubuntu held back GNOME because of the no-desktop-icons in the later shells. In 19.04 we finally got that "feature", and a partially crippled workaround called "Desktop Icons" GNOME extension (see my answer). What Ubuntu are you running, and why no GNOME?
- mikewhatever almost 5 years
  
  @heynnema Well, of course the links are old, they report about Gnome 3.28. Now, if they are wrong, and desktop icons were there, why did "Ubuntu held back GNOME because of the no-desktop-icons"? I do not run anything (is it like toggle a switch 1,700,000,000 tps?). Mate 18.04 is installed on and run on an old laptop. Gnome is just too unsuitable for me.
- Boris Hamanov almost 5 years
  
  @mikewhatever when the GNOME folks came out with the "no desktop icons" in later GNOME shells, Canonical didn't implement those later shells because they felt that users weren't ready to loose that feature... so we didn't get the latest shell until 19.04... now icons, with the exception of folders, are gone... until they improve the Desktop Icons GNOME extension. GNOME only becomes unstable with the addition of unstable GNOME extensions... and 19.04 breaks a few previously stable ones... otherwise, I haven't had any trouble with it. We at least need to get you to Mate 19.04 :-)
- Trevor Orr almost 5 years
  
  I downloaded a new Ubuntu 19.04 disk image for Virtual Box and all was good, had my toolbars and everything. Ran an apt update and apt upgrade, installed apache2 and php 7.2, restarted and now I have no toolbars of any kind again.
- Boris Hamanov almost 5 years
  
  @TrevorOrr sorry to hear that. Let's repeat some of the earlier commands, just to see where you are... ls -al /var/crash and ls -al ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions. Are you able to open terminal with ctrl-alt-t? Can you alt-F2 and get a box where you can type "r" to restart gnome-shell? Do you have another account that you can log into... just to eliminate an account-specific problem? Report back to @heynnema
- Trevor Orr almost 5 years
  
  I wiped everything and started over again and have finally got everything installed and configured now.
Trevor Orr almost 5 years

not sure how I can go to these links in Ubuntu since I only have shell access
Boris Hamanov almost 5 years

@TrevorOrr just click on the "here" link, and it'll take you directly to the desired place. Otherwise, you can right-click on the "here" link, select "Copy Link Location", and then paste that into your browser of choice. Let me know if you have more questions.
Trevor Orr almost 5 years

I am using windows right now since I only have shell access to Ubuntu. If I download from windows where do I save it on Ubuntu and what do I do with it once I have it on Ubuntu?
Boris Hamanov almost 5 years

When you say shell access, do you mean SSH access only? Doesn't your 19.04 VM have a GUI installed? Was this a desktop or server installation?
Trevor Orr almost 5 years

Yes, only SSH access on 19.04, my 17.10 had a full desktop with icons. This is a desktop installation.
Charles Green almost 5 years

@heynnema I'm getting the impression that perhaps the OP is getting a 'No Dash, no launcher' situation like in the old Unity question https://askubuntu.com/questions/17381/unity-doesnt-load-no-l‌auncher-no-dash-appe‌ars
Boris Hamanov almost 5 years

@TrevorOrr Show me ls -al ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions.
Trevor Orr almost 5 years

Stupid windows 10 crashed. Here is what I get with the command. ls: cannot access '/home/osboxes/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions': No such file or directory
Boris Hamanov almost 5 years

@TrevorOrr Windows must have crashed again... if you make it back, also show me ls -al /var/crash.
Trevor Orr almost 5 years

-rw-r----- 1 osboxes whoopsie 68188 May 11 12:47 _usr_bin_ccsm.1000.crash
Boris Hamanov almost 5 years

@TrevorOrr ah! It looks like you've got leftovers from 17.10. During the upgrade to 19.04, you had to go through intermediate steps to get there, yes? You just need to backup any data, and then fresh reinstall 19.04, and then restore your data.
Trevor Orr almost 5 years

damn, was really hoping to avoid that. Took along time getting everything setup and running for web development. Guess I will get started.
RjPiston over 4 years

Desktop icons extension has not worked for me. I've reinstalled nemo, nautilaus, reinstalled the extension, still can't get anything to work.Whoever thought this was a feature should be fired. what an absolutely ridiculous feature to remove.
Boris Hamanov over 4 years

@RjPiston please start a new question with details about your current situation, and we'll try and help,