It's surprisingly easy. You just need to copy .local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/ folder of your $HOME directory. To restore, just paste the /extensions/ directory back. This tutorial explains with pictures how to do it. This tutorial is based on GNOME 3.28 over Ubuntu 18.04 LTS but you will find it's applicable to another GNOME systems as well. Enjoy!
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About GNOME Shell Extensions (GSE) | GSEs for 18.04 | GSEs for 17.10 | GSEs for Productivity
1. Go To The Location
In your home directory there is .local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/ if there is any extension installed. If you don't see .local/, press Ctrl+H, and find it again.
2. Backup
Copy all folders inside above /extensions/ folder. They are all your installed extensions. This way you backed up them.
3. Save Them
Copy those folders to another storage media i.e. other partition, external hard disk, network storage, etc. For example, I save extensions backup in my secondary partition.
4. Restore
- Simply copy them back to ./local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/ directory on a new GNOME system i.e. your new OS or new laptop.
- Press Alt+F2 and type r and press Enter. This restarts the GNOME Shell.
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| Restored extension folders in right place |
5. Call The Tweaks
- Run GNOME Tweaks and see the Extensions section. You should see all the extensions installed.
- Activate any extensions you wish there.
- It's done!
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| GNOME Tweaks automatically recognizes them |
Have a nice backup day!
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.