Table of Contents
Overview
GNOME is one of the most widely used desktop environments on Linux. It aims for a clean, simple interface that is easy to understand, even for people who are new to Linux. In this chapter you will focus on how GNOME looks, how to move around inside it, and how to perform everyday tasks. You will not learn how to install GNOME or switch desktop environments here, because those topics belong elsewhere in the course.
GNOME is used by several popular distributions as their default desktop, including Fedora and Ubuntu (with a few visual modifications). If you install one of these systems and boot into a graphical session, the screen you see after login is most likely GNOME or a close variant of it.
The GNOME Desktop Layout
When you first log into GNOME you see a fairly minimal desktop. There is usually a top bar across the screen, a background wallpaper, and very few icons on the desktop itself. GNOME prefers to keep the desktop surface mostly empty and move interaction into the top bar and the Activities Overview.
The top bar typically contains three main areas. On the left there is an “Activities” button or an area you can click to open the Activities Overview. In the center you usually see the date and time, which also acts as a calendar and notification hub when clicked. On the right you see system status icons, for example network, sound, power, keyboard layout, and a menu that lets you log out or power off.
GNOME hides the application launcher and running applications overview inside a special screen called the Activities Overview. You access this overview by pressing the Super key, sometimes called the Windows key, or by moving your mouse to the top left hot corner or clicking “Activities”. The Overview is where you switch between open windows, start applications, and work with workspaces.
Activities Overview
The Activities Overview is central to how GNOME is used. When you open it, the current windows shrink slightly and you see all of your open windows across one or more workspaces. On the left a vertical strip called the Dash appears. This contains favorite applications and currently running applications. At the bottom of the screen you often see workspace thumbnails or indicators, depending on the GNOME version and distribution tweaks.
From the Overview you can start applications by clicking their icons in the Dash or by entering the application grid, which is accessible through an icon or a swipe gesture or by pressing a key such as the Super key again. You can also search for applications, files, and settings by simply starting to type while the Overview is open. GNOME integrates search into this view so you do not have to open a separate menu.
The Activities Overview is designed to replace a traditional “start menu” and “taskbar” combination. Instead of a single menu listing everything, you use search and the application grid. Instead of a visible taskbar with buttons for each window, you see your windows visually arranged when you enter the Overview.
Launching and Managing Applications
To launch applications in GNOME you have several options. The most direct way is to press the Super key to open the Activities Overview and then start typing the name of the application. For example, type “files” to open the file manager or “terminal” to open a terminal emulator. GNOME shows matching applications and you simply click the one you want.
Another way is to click the grid of dots icon, usually at the bottom of the Dash or in the Overview, which opens the application grid. This grid shows installed graphical applications, often across multiple pages. You can click and drag applications around to organize them, and you can drag one icon on top of another to create folders in some GNOME versions.
If you want quick access to a program, you can add it to the Dash as a favorite. You do this by right clicking on its icon while it is running and choosing an option like “Add to Favorites.” After that, it appears permanently in the Dash, even when not running. To remove it as a favorite, right click and choose the corresponding remove option.
Managing running applications is mostly done through the Activities Overview. You can switch to an open window by clicking it there. You can also use keyboard shortcuts, for example Alt + Tab to quickly cycle through open applications. When an application misbehaves, you can close it by right clicking its icon in the Dash or its preview in the Overview and choosing to close the window.
Workspaces in GNOME
GNOME encourages the use of multiple workspaces to keep your tasks organized. A workspace acts like a separate screen where you can place different groups of windows. For example, you might keep web browsing and email in one workspace and programming tools in another.
In the Activities Overview you will see workspaces displayed either as a vertical column on one side or as horizontal strips, depending on the version. You can drag windows between workspaces by grabbing their previews and dropping them onto another workspace. You can also create new workspaces simply by moving a window to an empty workspace area. GNOME then automatically adds or removes workspaces as needed.
Keyboard shortcuts make workspace use much faster. For example, you can move between workspaces with Control + Alt combined with arrow keys, and you can move the current window to another workspace with related shortcuts. The exact bindings can be checked and changed in the Keyboard section of GNOME Settings.
Workspaces are useful to reduce clutter. Instead of minimizing many windows to manage your space, you group them logically. GNOME integrates workspaces deeply, so you almost always see them when you open the Overview.
GNOME Settings
System settings in GNOME are accessed through the Settings application, sometimes named “Settings” or “GNOME Settings.” You can open it from the application grid or via search from the Activities Overview. Settings are grouped into categories such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Display, Power, Sound, and so on.
For daily tasks, you will most often adjust keyboard layout, time and date, display resolution and scaling, power options, and user account options. The interface tries to keep all common configuration tasks in one place, using clear pages and switches.
Under the Appearance section you can choose between light and dark styles, change the accent color if the distribution supports it, and pick the background image. GNOME does not have a built in highly detailed theme editor by default, but simple visual preferences are available here. Advanced appearance changes are usually done through extensions or distribution specific tools, which you will meet only briefly in this chapter.
Settings for notifications and privacy are also located here. You can decide which applications are allowed to show notifications, whether the lock screen shows message content, and which services can access location or camera. These options help you control how intrusive applications are when you work.
Customizing the GNOME Desktop
Although GNOME aims for a consistent and simple design, it can be customized to fit your preferences. Basic customization is done through Settings. For example, you can change the wallpaper, switch between light and dark style, change the system fonts in some versions, and adjust the behavior of the top bar clock or date.
For more extensive modifications there is a feature called GNOME Shell Extensions. These are add ons that change or extend GNOME’s behavior. You can use extensions to add extra panels, show system monitors in the top bar, change the application menu layout, or reintroduce a traditional taskbar. Installing and managing extensions usually involves a tool provided by your distribution or the GNOME Extensions website together with a helper package.
Extensions can significantly change how GNOME behaves. Use them carefully and avoid installing many untrusted extensions, because they run with the same permissions as your desktop session.
Some distributions include their own GNOME tweaks out of the box, for example Ubuntu adds a visible dock and may change themes. Others keep GNOME closer to the official default. Because of this, your GNOME desktop may look somewhat different from screenshots you see in generic documentation, but the core concepts remain the same.
GNOME Applications
GNOME provides a suite of core applications that share a similar design and are integrated with the desktop. For file management you have a file manager commonly called “Files” or “Nautilus.” For web browsing many distributions ship with Firefox, but GNOME itself offers Web (also called Epiphany). There are also applications for viewing images, playing videos, handling archives, managing software, and more.
These applications follow GNOME’s design guidelines. Menus are often simplified and hidden behind a single primary menu button. Window controls may be minimal, with a focus on content. Applications also integrate with the notification system, the search in the Activities Overview, and sometimes with the online accounts feature in Settings.
The Software application, usually called “Software” or “Software Center,” is tightly integrated with GNOME. It lets you search for, install, and update graphical applications without using the command line. The details of package management belong to another chapter, but in daily use you will often interact with GNOME Software as your main way to add or remove applications.
Keyboard Shortcuts in GNOME
GNOME relies heavily on keyboard shortcuts to speed up navigation. The most important one is the Super key, which toggles the Activities Overview. From there you can start typing to perform searches. Alt + Tab switches between applications, while Alt + ` (backtick) cycles between windows of the same application on some setups.
To move windows around, you can use Super + Arrow keys to tile them to halves of the screen or maximize them, depending on configuration. There are also shortcuts to move windows to another workspace and to switch directly to specific workspaces. You can see and customize shortcuts in Settings under Keyboard.
Learning a few shortcuts can make GNOME feel much faster and more comfortable. You do not need to memorize them all at once. Start with Super to open the Overview, Super plus typing to launch apps, and Alt + Tab to switch between them. As you grow more comfortable, explore the full shortcut list.
Wayland and GNOME
Modern GNOME sessions often use Wayland as the display protocol instead of the older X11 system. From a beginner’s perspective, you mostly do not need to worry about this. You will notice it only when some older programs or screen sharing tools behave differently.
Wayland aims to improve security and smoothness for graphical rendering. GNOME has been one of the leading desktop environments supporting and advancing Wayland. When you log in, your display manager may offer a choice between a “GNOME” session and a “GNOME on Xorg” or similar option. If you pick the default “GNOME” on a recent distribution, you are typically using Wayland.
Some specialized tools may still work better on X11. In that case you can log out and select the X11 session from the login screen’s session menu. For ordinary tasks like web browsing, office work, and media consumption, you usually do not need to change anything.
Using GNOME in Daily Work
In daily use with GNOME you follow a consistent pattern. You log in and arrive at the desktop. When you want to open an application, you press the Super key and start typing or choose it from the grid. You switch between applications with Alt + Tab or by opening the Activities Overview. You organize tasks by placing windows in different workspaces.
Notifications appear at the top of the screen and can be seen in more detail by clicking the clock area. You change system settings such as Wi-Fi or sound from the system status area on the right of the top bar. When you are finished, you click the system menu to log out, restart, or power off.
Over time, you may adjust GNOME to your style: pinning your favorite applications to the Dash, enabling a few carefully chosen extensions, or changing the appearance. The key is that GNOME tries to hide complexity and encourage focused work, using the Activities Overview as the main hub.
By understanding this basic flow and the unique parts of GNOME such as the Overview, Dash, and workspaces, you will be able to use GNOME effectively regardless of which distribution provides it.