First off, a GNOME Shell Extension (Or just GNOME Extension) is an add-on for GNOME created by someone outside of the main GNOME developers. Since GNOME is open-source, people are able to create these unique third-party GNOME Extensions.
Setup
First, you have to install GNOME Tweaks. You can get it from the software center, or you can run:
sudo apt install gnome-tweaksHow to Install a Small Set of Extensions From Your Operating System
The first way I like to install my extensions is to install gnome-shell-extensions. Just run:
sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensionsNext, use alt+F2 or FN+Alt+F2, and type “r” in the box. This restarts the GNOME Shell so your changes take effect.
Next, open GNOME Tweaks > Extensions. Here you can find the pre-installed extensions.
How to Install Extensions of Your Choice by Using GNOME’s Browser Extension
At extensions.gnome.org, you can get extensions without installing Tweaks. First, you have to install a GNOME-created browser extension. The extension is available on Firefox, which is automatically installed on Ubuntu, and it is also available on Google Chrome. I haven’t tested any other browsers than those two.
You can easily install the extension without having to search for it. On the website, you should get a message like this (if you don’t have the extension installed):
Just click where it says, “Click here to install browser extension.” If you’re using Firefox, it should download and ask for a confirmation message. If you’re using Google Chrome, it should send you to the GNOME extension page on the Chrome Web store.
Next, you have to install chrome-gnome-shell.
sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shellYou have to install that package no matter what, or you’d get an error.
Next, search for an extension at extensions.gnome.org. Once you find an extension, make sure it is compatible with the version of your operating system. Then, click on the toggle button on the page.
Next, you would get a pop-up that asks you for confirmation. Click “Install.”
If you go back to the extension page later on, you’d see that next to the toggle button is a red X. If you click the X, the extension would be uninstalled. If you toggle the extension “off,” it would still be installed, but it wouldn’t be activated.
If you’d like to change settings on your extension, you can use GNOME Tweaks. Notice that your extension shows up in GNOME Tweaks as well.
You can click the settings gear to customize your extension. Not all extensions are able to be changed, though.
If you don’t want to use GNOME Tweaks to change settings on your extensions, you can still go to the extension page at the GNOME Extensions website. If you refresh the page, you’ll see that a button with tools on it appeared. You can change the settings by clicking on it. You might notice that when you click on it, an app called Extensions is opened and you change the settings from that. You installed that app in the beginning of this article (gnome-shell-extensions).
Conclusion
If you’re using GNOME, I hope that this article was helpful. If you have any questions, put them in the comments below.
I have videos on how to do these things on my second YouTube Channel. I upload new content every Friday.
Here’s a video on how to install GNOME Extensions:
Alex Fullam 
One thought on “How to Install GNOME Extensions”