"set as desktop background" doesn't work on Linux Mint 20
I've always used Firefox's "set as desktop background" to change my desktop picture on Linux Mint. Recently (after update to Mint 20?), it hasn't been working. I'm not sure it was when I updated to Mint 20, it may also have quit working after I used Pix to set the desktop background?
When I select "set as desktop background" in Firefox, nothing happens. There is no error message. I can still change the background using Pix, but that requires saving the picture from Firefox, opening it in Pix, and then setting it to the desktop. It would be nice if I could do it directly from FF again.
Firefox 84.0.1 Linux Mint 20, Cinnamon 4.6.7, kernel 5.4.0-58-generic
Modified by kcaldwel55
All Replies (11)
Try the Firefox version from the official Mozilla server if you currently use a version from the repositories of your Linux distribution.
Thanks. I tried the version from the Mozilla server as you suggested. It no longer seems to be a package you install, it just runs from the unpacked folder? I guess that is a new Flatpak version or something. Seems strange, it ignores all my Firefox settings, bookmarks, etc.
Anyway, when I run that version, the "set desktop background" still doesn't work.
Modified by kcaldwel55
Firefox from the Mozilla server comes as a packed tar archive, so you need to extract its content to a folder on your computer. You can use a folder in your home directory if you want to be able to update Firefox as a user. If you install in /usr/local or in /opt then you need to start as root via sudo.
Since the version from the Mozilla server doesn't fix my desktop background problem, I think I'll stick with the updates through Mint.
Seems this was an issue in the Windows version of FF as well, but was fixed there:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1258772
I just checked, and the Flatpak Linux version from the Mozilla site is the same 84.0.1 version I'm already running anyway. Looks like the Linux version of FF never got the fix applied.
Modified by kcaldwel55
See also SetDesktopBackground.
I'm afraid that means nothing to me. Guess I'll live with setting the desktop background from Pix.
This only seems to work if you use the GNOME desktop. Environment variable: XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=GNOME The filename should be firefox_wallpaper.png in the home directory.
It has worked with Mint Cinnamon for the last 10 years or so. I have used it fairly regularly, and never had a problem until recently.
FF is writing the new picture to the firefox_wallpaper.png file in my home directory, but it doesn't change the desktop.
I don't even see that option in Firefox to "set as desktop background" when looking at images. see screenshot
Operating System: openSUSE Tumbleweed 20201229 KDE Plasma Version: 5.20.4 KDE Frameworks Version: 5.77.0 Qt Version: 5.15.2 Kernel Version: 5.10.1-1-default OS Type: 64-bit Processors: 8 × Intel® Core™ i7-4810MQ CPU @ 2.80GHz Memory: 31.0 GiB of RAM Graphics Processor: Mesa DRI Intel® HD Graphics 4600
It has been there forever in FF for Windows, and for the many years I have been using Linux Mint Cinnamon. It has just recently stopped working.
I know it's in Windows, but can't recall seeing it KDE.