Ubuntu MATE ships with the MATE desktop environment, but you might prefer GNOME’s modern interface and tighter integration with system tools. Installing GNOME alongside MATE is straightforward and lets you switch between them at login without removing either one. Installation Update your package list and install the GNOME desktop package: sudo apt update sudo apt…
GNOME 3 and GNOME Classic don’t provide built-in autohide functionality for the top panel or taskbar. Unlike some lightweight desktop environments, this feature isn’t available through the standard settings or extensions in recent GNOME versions. If you need panels that automatically hide when applications are running, you have several options: GNOME Extensions (limited approach) While…
The bottom panel in GNOME Classic displays the window list via the “Window List” extension. If you don’t use it, there are several ways to remove it depending on your approach. Method 1: Context menu removal (Recommended) The simplest approach if your GNOME version supports it: Hover over a blank area of the bottom panel…
IBus daemon restarts aren’t always straightforward in GNOME, especially since menu options have been removed. You’ll need to kill the daemon and start a fresh one. Quick restart Kill the current IBus daemon: pkill -o ibus-daemon The -o flag terminates only the oldest process, which is typically the main daemon (not child processes). IBus usually…
GDM (GNOME Display Manager) lets you control which users appear on the login screen. You have two main options: hide the entire user list or exclude specific users while keeping the list visible for others. Disable the user list entirely The most straightforward approach is to disable user listing completely. This forces everyone to type…
GNOME’s default Alt-Tab behavior switches between applications, grouping all windows from the same app together. If you work with multiple windows in a single application—multiple browser tabs, text editors, or terminals—this becomes frustrating. Here’s how to change it to window-based switching. Using the Alternate Tab Extension The simplest approach is enabling GNOME’s built-in Alternate Tab…
The default GNOME Settings application doesn’t expose font configuration options. You’ll need additional tools to customize system fonts, but you have several approaches depending on your GNOME version and preferences. Using GNOME Tweaks GNOME Tweaks (formerly gnome-tweak-tool) is the recommended graphical approach for font customization. Installation On Fedora/RHEL: sudo dnf install gnome-tweaks On Ubuntu/Debian: sudo…
GNOME Shell’s appearance, including the panel, notifications, and system UI, is controlled by CSS theme files. Font customization requires editing these theme files directly. System-Wide Font Changes The primary theme file for GNOME Shell is located at: /usr/share/gnome-shell/theme/gnome-shell.css To modify fonts, open this file with elevated privileges: sudo nano /usr/share/gnome-shell/theme/gnome-shell.css Search for font-family declarations throughout…
GNOME 3 removed the GUI option for customizing window title fonts that existed in earlier versions. The setting is still configurable, but you’ll need to access it through command-line tools or configuration editors. Using gsettings (Command Line) The simplest approach is gsettings, which directly modifies the configuration: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences titlebar-font ‘Sans Bold 10’ To…
GNOME can automatically restore your session—reopening all applications and windows that were running when you last logged out. This differs from autostart scripts, which launch specific programs on every login regardless of what was running before. Automatic Session Restoration To enable automatic session restoration in GNOME: Open Settings → General (or search “Session” in Activities)…
If you need to restart GNOME while keeping your applications open, you have several options depending on your GNOME version and setup. Quick restart with Alt+F2 The fastest method is to use GNOME’s run dialog: Press Alt + F2 Type r and press Enter This restarts the GNOME shell while preserving your running applications and…
GNOME Shell’s clean, minimal design works well for many users, but the extension ecosystem lets you adapt it to your actual workflow. Here are extensions worth considering for modern GNOME (45+). AlternateTab Changes Alt-Tab behavior from application-grouped switching to per-window switching — more like traditional window managers. If GNOME’s default grouping feels disruptive, this restores…
GNOME’s default Settings app doesn’t expose comprehensive font options, but GNOME Tweaks and command-line tools give you full control over typefaces across the desktop, shell, and window decorations. Installing GNOME Tweaks GNOME Tweaks is the easiest way to customize fonts. Install it on your system: Fedora: sudo dnf install gnome-tweaks Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install gnome-tweaks…