Here’s a handy command line trick you can use to reset Ubuntu back to its default settings.

This command works for both the Unity desktop on Ubuntu 16.04 and the GNOME Shell desktop in Ubuntu 18.04 and above.

This command can also reset the MATE desktop to its stock settings, should you have it installed.

But why might you want to reset Ubuntu in the first place?

Maybe you move between different desktop environments often, extensively tweak your desktop, or have run into conflicts or issues you want to “undo”.

Or perhaps you want a fresh, “out of the box” feeling without needing to perform a fresh install.

Whatever the reason, using one command you can:

Reset Ubuntu Unity desktop to default settings

to default settings Reset GNOME desktop to default settings

to default settings Reset MATE desktop to default settings

…all at the the same time.

The command to run is:

dconf reset -f /

When you run this command you will reset, among other things, the apps pinned to the Unity launcher or Ubuntu Dock; panel applets and/or indicators; monitor resolution and interface scaling; keyboard shortcuts; fonts, GTK and icon theme; window button placement, launcher behaviour; and more.

This command will also reset any application that uses dconf to store its settings. This includes core desktop apps like Rhythmbox, Evince, Shotwell and Nautilus.

This latter point is important to keep in mind as this command may reset library settings, delete accounts, disable plugins, and/or require you to re-authenticate with online services.

How to Reset Ubuntu

Here’s my tweaked Ubuntu 17.10 desktop. I’ve moved the Ubuntu Dock and window controls, set a different GTK and icon theme, changed the wallpaper, and adjusted a few other settings:

To change Ubuntu back to default settings I ran the command above. 1.5 seconds and a screen blink later my desktop looked like this:

Everything is back to Ubuntu factory defaults.

So, there you have it. A single command that will reset GNOME Shell settings, the Unity desktop, MATE desktop and more.

Handy to know in case things go awry, and it will certainly save you from needing to hose down your home folder or create a new user account.

Just Be Careful, Ok?

As the dconf reset command will reset more than just the Unity, GNOME Shell and MATE desktop you should not run it idly — oh, and do make a backup of your existing desktop beforehand, especially if you’ve made extensive customisations and tweaks to any of you the desktops mentioned above.

How? Run dconf dump .

Keep in mind that this command will only affect applications and desktop settings that are stored using dconf/gsettings. It will not reset other apps (e.g., Thunderbird, Google Chrome, Clementine, and so on), affect low-level settings (e.g., drivers, kernel versions, grub), nor will it reset other desktop environments (e.g., KDE Plasma).

via Ubuntu Podcast