Desktop Environment Settings Conflict

When you install a new desktop environment like COSMIC, it shares the same configuration database (GSettings/dconf) as GNOME. During its setup, COSMIC overwrites global keys like your icon theme to its own defaults.

When you uninstall COSMIC, your package manager only deletes system files and binaries; it never touches your personal home directory ($HOME) or your custom configuration database for safety reasons. This leaves behind a broken reference pointing to icon assets that no longer exist, causing your icons to vanish.

⚙️ THE REASON

The system doesn't auto-restore your settings because package managers intentionally avoid modifying user configuration files in $HOME during uninstallation. The configuration key remains set to the COSMIC theme, but the actual icon files have been deleted from the system.

🛠️ THE FIX

You can instantly force the icon theme back to your preferred choice using the terminal.

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme 'kora'

---

Posted

06:31 25/06/2026