How to customize the Deepin Linux desktop
Deepin is an elegant, alternative desktop environment on Linux that is quickly gaining popularity in the community. It’s not hard to see why, as it’s easy on the eyes, fast and doesn’t appear to mimic other popular desktop environments.
The Deepin desktop environment is part of Deepin Linux, a distribution that bases itself on Debian. However, over the last few years, the Deepin desktop has found its way onto Ubuntu, Arch Linux and other distributions.
As the Deepin desktop is getting popular, more and more Linux users are getting their hands on it. The trouble is, many are unaware of how to customize and tweak the desktop to their liking. So, here is how to customize the Deepin Linux desktop environment.
Set the wallpaper
Changing the wallpaper on the Deepin desktop environment works much like a lot of other Linux desktops. It starts by taking the mouse and minimizing all of your applications. Then, right-click with the mouse on a blank space to reveal the right-click menu.
In the right-click menu, locate the “Set Wallpaper” option and select it. Choosing the wallpaper option will instantly reveal a slider at the bottom of the screen with various pre-set wallpapers for Deepin. Using the mouse, apply wallpaper, and it should immediately change.
Want to use a custom image for your wallpaper? Place a picture in /home/Pictures/ with the Deepin file manager, and then go to the wallpaper settings.
Change panel type
The Deepin desktop environment is unique in that it allows its users to swap panel types instantly. By default, Deepin is in “Faishon Mode” (aka dock mode).
If you’re not a fan of the dock style of Deepin, it’s possible to transform it to “Efficient Mode” by right-clicking on the dock, selecting the “Mode” option, and then clicking on “Efficient Mode.”
Add apps to the panel
The Deepin Linux desktop allows users to pin favorite programs to the panel. To do this, press the app menu button at the far left of the panel (or press the Windows key on the keyboard). Once in the app menu, look for the program you’d like to pin. Then, right-click on it and select “Send to dock.”
To unpin an application from the dock, select it with the mouse. Then, right-click on it to bring up the right-click menu. From there, find “Undock” to remove the app.
Add apps to the desktop
Need to add some app icons to your Deepin desktop setup? Here’s how it works.
First, click on the app menu icon on the panel (or press Win) and look for your app. Then, once you’ve found it, right-click on it and select the “send to desktop” option to create a new shortcut.
Change Deepin themes
Deepin comes with a couple of themes out of the box. If you’re not a fan of the default look, it’s quite easy to swap it out in the settings. To do it, start by pressing the Windows key and searching for “Control Center.”
In the control center, click on “Personalization”. After that, select “Theme” to reveal the Deepin skins available on your Linux PC.
To change the current theme for Deepin, select a choice under “Window Theme”.
Change Deepin icons
The Deepin desktop environment has a decent set of default icons, but they’re not for everyone. If you’re looking to swap it out with another icon theme, it’s quite easy. To do it, open up the application menu by pressing the Windows key on the keyboard. Then, search for “Control Center.”
In the Control Center, locate “Personalization” and click on it. Then, scroll through to find “Icon Theme.”
Under “Icon Theme” you’ll see dozens of different icons to choose from. To change the existing theme with one in the list, click on it with your mouse, and Deepin will instantly switch to it.
Change user avatar
On the Deepin Linux desktop, each user you set up gets a default icon for their picture. It’s known as an avatar, and it’s usually pretty nice looking but it’s not exactly something that everyone is going to like.
Thankfully, the stock avatar pictures can quickly be changed by accessing the “Avatar” section of Deepin. To get there, open up the application menu and open up the Control Center app.
Inside the Control Center, click on “Accounts,” then select a username. Once you’ve chosen a username to modify, select the “Modify Avatar” button.
Clicking the “Modify Avatar” button reveals several stock avatar images that users can use for their account in Deepin. Alternatively, it is possible to use a custom avatar image by clicking on the “+” sign.
When you’re satisfied with the avatar change, click the arrow button to leave the user modification window in Control Center.
Looks like a legit advice on its own scale & scope…
Just curious: is there ANY way possible to make the desktop wallpaper CONSTANT from workspace to workspace? I’m constantly having to change them individually, why is there no setting to “Allow Same Wallpaper For All Desktops / Lockscreen” type setting? Is it a dconf issue? or something that needs to be handled by a gtk module?..anyone have any inkling how to disable that feature? And why can’t the touchpad use the edge for scrolling? I realize that there’s tons of “Mac Users” who will use this and so the gestures they use on a MacBook is similar here, but why can’t someone who’s coming from the Windows environment find a way to enable “Edge Scrolling”? Is this also a “hidden” feature that requires digging through a drilled-down folder? Just curious about these issues….
I have added icon sets to /usr/share/icons but they don’t show up when using “Personalization”.
Is this because I am running Deepin under a virtual machine?
2020-10-10
HK
Stop explaining the obvious, we want to know the equivalent as cloning icons for GNOME but for deepin instead, I don’t know what’s more sad, you putting ads on this miserable site for humanities-degree losers or explaining the obvious