Cinnamon Extensions & Desklets: Widgets and Wallpapers

How to use built-in Cinnamon extensions and desklets to set up a time-based dynamic wallpaper, overlay custom watermarks, and add desktop widgets like Disk Space and custom Clocks.

Beginner Verified Working Updated 4 min read Tested on Linux Mint 22.3 Cinnamon (Ubuntu 24.04 Noble base) Hardware Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 2

Overview

One of the advantages of Linux Mint Cinnamon is its system for “Extensions” and “Desklets” — community add-ons that change how the desktop behaves and looks. This guide covers three of them: a Dynamic Wallpaper extension that switches your background with the time of day, a Watermark extension for placing a logo on the desktop, and two desklets (desktop widgets) for a clock and disk-space monitor. All install from Cinnamon’s built-in browser — no terminal required.

1. Accessing Cinnamon Extensions

Both of these features are officially supported community extensions. You do not need to use the terminal to install them.

  1. Open the Cinnamon Menu and search for Extensions.
  2. Click to open the Extensions window.
  3. At the top, you will see two tabs: Manage (your installed extensions) and Download (the repository).
  4. Click on the Download tab.
  5. If prompted, click Yes to update the cache.

2. Cinnamon Dynamic Wallpaper

Unlike macOS or GNOME, Cinnamon doesn’t have native dynamic wallpapers built into the standard background settings. The Cinnamon Dynamic Wallpaper extension by TobiZog adds them.

Installation

  1. In the Download tab, search for Cinnamon Dynamic Wallpaper.
  2. Find the one by TobiZog (cinnamon-dynamic-wallpaper@TobiZog) and click the download arrow next to it.
  3. Switch back to the Manage tab.
  4. Select Cinnamon Dynamic Wallpaper and click the + (Plus) icon at the bottom of the window to enable it. A checkmark will appear next to it.

Configuration

  1. Click the Gear (Settings) icon next to the extension in the Manage tab.
  2. In the settings, you can configure the extension to change your background based on the time of day.
  3. Select your preferred dynamic wallpaper package (such as a lake or mountain view) and the extension will handle transitioning between morning, afternoon, sunset, and night versions automatically.

3. Desktop Watermark

If you want to brand your desktop—perhaps placing a subtle logo or custom graphic in the corner—you can use the Watermark extension by germanfr.

Installation

  1. Go back to the Download tab and search for Watermark.
  2. Find the one by germanfr (watermark@germanfr) and click the download arrow.
  3. Switch back to the Manage tab.
  4. Select Watermark and click the + (Plus) icon to enable it.

Configuration

  1. Click the Gear (Settings) icon next to the Watermark extension.
  2. Under the settings, choose the image file (like a transparent PNG logo) you want to use.
  3. Opacity: Adjust the opacity slider so the logo subtly blends into your dynamic wallpaper.
  4. Positioning: You can adjust the offset/position so it sits perfectly in a specific corner of your screen.

4. Cinnamon Desklets (Widgets)

While Extensions modify desktop behavior, Desklets add floating widgets directly onto your desktop wallpaper. Cinnamon comes with a few basic desklets built-in (like a simple clock and a photo frame), but the community has built far better ones.

You can identify default system desklets because they have a Padlock icon next to them—meaning they are locked to the system and cannot be uninstalled (only enabled or disabled).

If you want a more robust setup, we recommend downloading community desklets:

  • Disk Space by schorschii (diskspace@schorschii): A circular widget that displays the current usage of your filesystem or RAM on the desktop.
  • Time and Date Desklet by NotSirius-A (TimeAndDate@nightflame): A themeable, overhauled version of the default clock.

Installation

  1. Open the Cinnamon Menu and search for Desklets.
  2. Click the Download tab and accept the cache update if prompted.
  3. Search for the desklets mentioned above and click their download arrow.
  4. Switch back to the Manage tab.
  5. Select the downloaded desklet (notice it won’t have a padlock icon since it’s a community download) and click the + (Plus) button to add it to your desktop.

Configuration

  1. Once added to the desktop, you can click and drag the widget anywhere on your screen.
  2. Back in the Manage tab of the Desklets window, click the Gear (Settings) icon next to the active desklet to customize its colors, size, and layout to match your wallpaper.
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