Tag Archives: gnome

13 Useful GNOME Shell Extensions for a Better Desktop Experience (Available in the official Debian repositories or on the GNOME Extensions website for other distributions)

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GNOME Shell offers a clean and modern UI, but it often lacks functionality desired by power users and those coming from other desktop environments.

GNOME Shell extensions provide a way to restore or add features to your desktop. In this article, you’ll explore some of the most useful GNOME Shell extensions available directly from the official Debian repositories via apt (available in Debian Bookworm and newer).

For users running distributions other than Debian, this article provides a link to the GNOME Shell Extensions page for each extension, allowing installation on any supported distribution.

Extension Management

The GNOME Shell Extension Prefs tool offers a graphical interface for enabling, disabling, and configuring GNOME Shell extensions. It can be installed using the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-prefs

After installation, GNOME Shell extensions can be enabled and configured using the gnome-extensions-app command.

Productivity

gnome-shell-extension-caffeine

The Caffeine extension prevents the system from locking the screen or entering suspend mode while it is active or when an application switches to fullscreen mode. This extension is useful during presentations, video playback, or gaming sessions, where uninterrupted screen activity is required.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-caffeine

System Monitoring

gnome-shell-extension-system-monitor

The system-monitor extension displays CPU, memory, network, and other metrics in real time on the top bar. Useful for developers, system administrators, and performance-conscious users.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-system-monitor

gnome-shell-extension-impatience

The Impatience extension decreases the duration of animations in GNOME Shell, resulting in a more responsive user interface.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-impatience

Panel and Dash Customization

gnome-shell-extension-dash-to-panel

The Dash To Panel extension integrates the top panel and dash into a unified taskbar, emulating the interface conventions commonly found in Windows and KDE environments.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-dash-to-panel

gnome-shell-extension-dashtodock

The Dash To Dock extension moves the dash out of the Activities view and docks it on the screen. Ideal for users preferring a macOS-style dock or persistent application launcher.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-dashtodock

gnome-shell-extension-hide-activities

The Hide Activities Button extension removes the “Activities” button from the top bar. It is useful for cleaner interfaces.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-hide-activities

gnome-shell-extension-top-icons-plus

The TopIcons Plus extension restores support for tray icons (i.e., systray) by displaying them in the top panel.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-top-icons-plus

UI Clean-Up and Space Saving

gnome-shell-extension-pixelsaver

The Pixelsaver extension integrates window title bars into the top panel for maximized windows, saving vertical space.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-pixelsaver

gnome-shell-extension-no-annoyance

The NoAnnoyance extension disables “Window is ready” notifications, which can be distracting and interrupt focus when multitasking across multiple applications.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-no-annoyance

gnome-shell-extension-autohidetopbar

The Hide Top Bar extension automatically hides the top bar, helping reduce visual clutter and maximize vertical screen space.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-autohidetopbar

Menus and Application Launching

gnome-shell-extension-arc-menu

The ArcMenu extension replaces the default application overview with a highly customizable start menu. Suitable for users preferring hierarchical or categorized navigation.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-arc-menu

Desktop Icon Support

gnome-shell-extension-desktop-icons-ng

The Desktop Icons NG extension restores desktop icon support (files, folders, and shortcuts), which was removed in newer GNOME versions. Supports drag-and-drop and right-click menus.

To install it on a Debian-based system, execute the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-desktop-icons-ng

Conclusion

These GNOME Shell extensions enable the transformation of GNOME into an efficient and personalized environment. All GNOME Shell extensions mentioned in this article are available through the official Debian repositories.

Additional GNOME Shell extensions, not included in the Debian repositories, can be found on the official GNOME Shell Extensions website.

Linux: Setting the default GDM login monitor in a multi-monitor setup using GNOME display settings

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If you’re using a multi-monitor setup with GDM (GNOME Display Manager) and the login screen consistently appears on the wrong monitor, this article presents a tested solution that can be applied either manually or automated, ensuring that the GDM monitor configuration matches that of your primary user setup.

The issue

Consider the following scenario: You have two monitors connected to an Nvidia graphics card, and despite setting the primary monitor correctly in GNOME, the GDM login screen still appears on the secondary monitor. Even if the secondary monitor is turned off, GDM continues to display the login prompt there, as it defaults to the wrong monitor. Additionally, the screen resolution and refresh rate are not configured as desired. For instance, if you have a 144Hz display and GDM uses a different refresh rate, you may experience annoying black flickering when logging in, as the refresh rate changes mid-session.

The solution

The login screen configuration for GDM can be influenced by copying the monitor layout from your GNOME user session.

This is done by copying the ~/.config/monitors.xml file from your user configuration to GDM’s configuration directory.

Step 1: Configure your display using GNOME

First, configure your display layout as desired using GNOME’s display settings:

gnome-control-center displayCode language: plaintext (plaintext)

Step 2: Copy the resulting monitor configuration to GDM’s configuration directory

Copy the resulting monitor configuration ~/.config/monitors.xml to GDM’s configuration directory:

sudo install -o root -m 644 ~/.config/monitors.xml ~gdm/.config/Code language: plaintext (plaintext)

(the shell will automatically interpret ~gdm as the home directory of the gdm user)

Step 3: Restart GDM

Restart GDM with the following command:

sudo systemctl restart gdmCode language: plaintext (plaintext)

How to automatically copy monitors.xml to the GDM configuration directory?

The copying of the monitors.xml file can be automated by defining a systemd service override for the GDM service.

First, create the following directory using:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/gdm.service.d/Code language: plaintext (plaintext)

Then, create the file /etc/systemd/system/gdm.service.d/override.conf with the following contents:

[Service]
ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c 'install -o root -m 644 /home/YOUR_USER/.config/monitors.xml ~gdm/.config/monitors.xml || true'Code language: plaintext (plaintext)

Ensure to:

  • Replace YOUR_USER with your actual desktop user name.

Conclusion

Copying the GNOME display settings to the GDM configuration directory ensures that GDM adopts the same monitor layout as your GNOME session, causing the login screen to appear on your preferred monitor.