Setting new background color in 19.10

[Edward_Diener]

I am running Ubuntu 19.10 using the Ubuntu desktop. I had set a background color for my desktop in Ubuntu 19.04. But when I try to change my background color using Settings | Background I am not given a choice of colors but rather background pictures. How can I set the background to some other color ?

[Frogs Hair]

The option is missing in my installation as well . It looks like that feature has been removed by the Gnome developers. A work around would include creating folder with solid color background images.

[Dennis N]

I am running Ubuntu 19.10 using the Ubuntu desktop. I had set a background color for my desktop in Ubuntu 19.04. But when I try to change my background color using Settings | Background I am not given a choice of colors but rather background pictures. How can I set the background to some other color ?

Hello Edward;

For setting a desktop background color in Ubuntu 19.10 a different method is now needed:

install and use dconf-editor utility:

disable background images:
navigate to: org.gnome.desktop.background.picture-options
Be sure default value switch = off
Click on custom value box and select 'none'. this will turn off using an image.
Click 'Apply'

set color:
navigate to: org.gnome.desktop.background.primary-color
Be sure default value switch = off
Click on custom value and set color hexcode in format #334b32
Click 'Apply'

Background will change to custom color instantly.

[Frogs Hair]

Thanks Dennis, I usually use pictures , but it's good to know how to apply a solid background.

[Edward_Diener]

Hello Edward;

For setting a desktop background color in Ubuntu 19.10 a different method is now needed:

install and use dconf-editor utility:

disable background images:
navigate to: org.gnome.desktop.background.picture-options
Be sure default value switch = off
Click on custom value box and select 'none'. this will turn off using an image.
Click 'Apply'

set color:
navigate to: org.gnome.desktop.background.primary-color
Be sure default value switch = off
Click on custom value and set color hexcode in format #334b32
Click 'Apply'

Background will change to custom color instantly.

Works fine. Thanks !

[corradoventu]

It looks like that feature has been removed by the Gnome developers
but in the help I see:

[corradoventu]

To set a solid color background create a small picture (.jpg or .png) of the preferred color in Your Pictures folder, right click on the picture and select 'set as wallpaper'
I submitted a bug for this problem: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-control-center/+bug/1862945
if you have the same problem please confirm my bug

[kamasys]

Hello Edward;

For setting a desktop background color in Ubuntu 19.10 a different method is now needed:

install and use dconf-editor utility:

disable background images:
navigate to: org.gnome.desktop.background.picture-options
Be sure default value switch = off
Click on custom value box and select 'none'. this will turn off using an image.
Click 'Apply'

set color:
navigate to: org.gnome.desktop.background.primary-color
Be sure default value switch = off
Click on custom value and set color hexcode in format #334b32
Click 'Apply'

Background will change to custom color instantly.

I can confirm that this works too in Ubuntu 20.04. With dconf-editor it's also possible to have one image stretched over two monitors by setting a suitable large image to 'spanned'. In Unity this was a standard feature.

[johnnymcc]

The option to do this via settings did not come back in 20.04. Before I knew about dconf-editor, I used gsettings which is installed by default. For primary-color you can also use 'rgb(R,G,B)' or 'hsl(H,S,L)'.