server-scripts/scripts/script-user-reset-desktop

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Reset default desktop preferences
# Copyright 2021-2025 Bryan C. Roessler
# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0
p="${BASH_SOURCE[0]%/*}"; [[ -r $p/script-functions ]] && . "$p"/script-functions || exit 1

echo "This script will only work for the current user"

[[ $EUID -eq 0 ]] && echo "Do not run as root (do not use sudo)" && exit 1

to_reset=(
  /org/mate/panel/
  /org/mate/panel/objects/
  /org/mate/desktop/background/
  /org/mate/desktop/font-rendering/
  /org/mate/desktop/interface/
  /org/mate/desktop/screensaver/
  /org/mate/desktop/media-handling/
  /org/mate/desktop/screensaver/
  /org/mate/mate-menu/
  /org/mate/marco/general/
  /org/mate/caja/desktop/
  /org/mate/caja/preferences/
  /org/mate/notification-daemon/
)

echo "Resetting desktop for user $(whoami)"
for p in "${to_reset[@]}"; do
  dconf reset -f "$p"
done

mate-panel --reset