Difference between revisions of "GNOME"
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=== Shell freezes === | === Shell freezes === | ||
− | Sometimes shell extensions freeze the GNOME Shell. In this case a possible strategy is to switch to another terminal via {{Keypress|Ctrl+Alt+ | + | Sometimes shell extensions freeze the GNOME Shell. In this case a possible strategy is to switch to another terminal via {{Keypress|Ctrl+Alt+F2}} through {{Keypress|Ctrl+Alt+F6}}, log in, and restart X by: |
# pkill X | # pkill X | ||
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If this doesn't work, you can try to restart your login manager. For instance, if you use GDM, try: | If this doesn't work, you can try to restart your login manager. For instance, if you use GDM, try: | ||
− | # systemctl restart gdm | + | # systemctl restart gdm.service |
== Customizing GNOME appearance == | == Customizing GNOME appearance == | ||
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''See [[Nautilus]].'' | ''See [[Nautilus]].'' | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Totem === | ||
+ | |||
+ | To play back h.264 videos, you need to install {{Pkg|gst-libav}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | For more information on gstreamer hardware acceleration, see [[GStreamer#Hardware_Acceleration|Gstreamer: Hardware Acceleration]]. | ||
=== GNOME panel === | === GNOME panel === | ||
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$ echo "NoDisplay=true" >> foo.desktop | $ echo "NoDisplay=true" >> foo.desktop | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== To Remove Wine Launchers from the Applications menu ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Enter {{ic|~/.local/share/applications/wine/Programs/}} and look for the wine application's name. In the directories are the ".desktop" files which configure the launchers. Remove the program directory to easily remove the launchers. | ||
==== Change application icon size ==== | ==== Change application icon size ==== | ||
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</nowiki>}} | </nowiki>}} | ||
and set {{ic|reactive}} to {{ic|false}}. GNOME Shell needs to be restarted. | and set {{ic|reactive}} to {{ic|false}}. GNOME Shell needs to be restarted. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Disable Message Tray hovering ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | The message tray is shown when the mouse hovers at the bottom of the screen for one second. To disable this behavior, comment out the following line in {{ic|/usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/messageTray.js}}: | ||
+ | {{hc|messageTray.js|<nowiki> | ||
+ | //pointerWatcher.addWatch(TRAY_DWELL_CHECK_INTERVAL, Lang.bind(this, this._checkTrayDwell)); | ||
+ | </nowiki>}} | ||
+ | GNOME Shell needs to be restarted. The message tray is still visible in activity view. | ||
=== Titlebar === | === Titlebar === | ||
+ | ==== Remove title bar ==== | ||
+ | Install [https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/354/maximus/ Maximus] GNOME shell extension. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It can also have white list / black list of application. | ||
+ | |||
+ | This extension requires xorg-xprop, install it if you don't have it already. | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{bc|pacman -S xorg-xprop}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | More about [[#GNOME shell extensions | GNOME shell extensions]]. | ||
==== Reduce title bar height ==== | ==== Reduce title bar height ==== | ||
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=== Login screen === | === Login screen === | ||
− | {{Merge|GDM}} | + | {{Merge|GDM|Login managers have their own wiki pages and information should be maintained separately.}} |
To modify characteristics of the login screen (GDM, the GNOME display manager) the following lines can be executed. The first command allows all users, including "gdm", to access X settings (albeit temporarily). This command creates a temporary vulnerability, so be advised. The second command opens a bash session with the credentials of user "gdm". {{Note|For exposition, user gdm's terminal prompt is shown as '''$'''. In actuality, it shows something like -bash-4.2$.}} | To modify characteristics of the login screen (GDM, the GNOME display manager) the following lines can be executed. The first command allows all users, including "gdm", to access X settings (albeit temporarily). This command creates a temporary vulnerability, so be advised. The second command opens a bash session with the credentials of user "gdm". {{Note|For exposition, user gdm's terminal prompt is shown as '''$'''. In actuality, it shows something like -bash-4.2$.}} | ||
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=== GNOME shell extensions === | === GNOME shell extensions === | ||
− | GNOME Shell can be customized with extensions | + | GNOME Shell can be customized with extensions. These provide features such as a dock or a widget for changing the theme. |
− | |||
− | |||
− | + | Many extensions are collected and hosted by [https://extensions.gnome.org/ extensions.gnome.org]. They can be browsed and installed simply activating them in the browser. More information about gnome shell extensions can be found [https://extensions.gnome.org/about/ here]. | |
− | + | See [[#When_an_extension_breaks_GNOME|when an extension breaks GNOME]] for troubleshooting information. | |
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=== Default file browser/replace Nautilus === | === Default file browser/replace Nautilus === | ||
Line 534: | Line 545: | ||
OR | OR | ||
Exec=pcmanfm %U | Exec=pcmanfm %U | ||
+ | OR | ||
+ | Exec=nemo %U | ||
[...] | [...] | ||
}} | }} | ||
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=== Changing hotkeys === | === Changing hotkeys === | ||
+ | It is possible to manually change the keys via an application's so-called accel map file. Where it is to be found is up to the application: For instance, Thunar's is at ~/.config/Thunar/accels.scm, whereas Nautilus's is located at ~/.config/nautilus/accels and ~/.gnome2/accels/nautilus on old release. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The file should contain a list of possible hotkeys, each unchanged line commented out with a leading ";" that has to be removed for a change to become active. | ||
+ | For example to replace the hotkey used by Nautilus to move files to the trash folder, change the line : | ||
+ | ; (gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/DirViewActions/Trash" "<Primary>Delete") | ||
+ | to this : | ||
+ | (gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/DirViewActions/Trash" "Delete") | ||
+ | |||
+ | The file is regenerate regularly so don't waist time on commenting the file. The uncommented line will stay but every comment you may add will be lost. | ||
+ | ==== Nautilus 3.4 and older ==== | ||
Firstly, use '''dconf-editor''' to place a checkmark next to {{ic|can-change-accels}} in the key named ''org.gnome.desktop.interface.'' | Firstly, use '''dconf-editor''' to place a checkmark next to {{ic|can-change-accels}} in the key named ''org.gnome.desktop.interface.'' | ||
We will replace the hotkey — a.k.a. keyboard shortcut, keyboard accelerator — used by Nautilus to move files to the trash folder. | We will replace the hotkey — a.k.a. keyboard shortcut, keyboard accelerator — used by Nautilus to move files to the trash folder. | ||
− | |||
The default assignment is a somewhat-awkward {{Keypress|Ctrl+Delete}}. | The default assignment is a somewhat-awkward {{Keypress|Ctrl+Delete}}. | ||
− | |||
* Open Nautilus, select any file, and click '''Edit''' on the menu bar. | * Open Nautilus, select any file, and click '''Edit''' on the menu bar. | ||
* Hover over the ''Move to Trash'' menu item. | * Hover over the ''Move to Trash'' menu item. | ||
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* Press the key that you wish to become the new keyboard accelerator. | * Press the key that you wish to become the new keyboard accelerator. | ||
* Press {{Keypress|Delete}} to make the new accelerator be the Delete key. | * Press {{Keypress|Delete}} to make the new accelerator be the Delete key. | ||
− | |||
Unless you select a file or folder, ''Move to Trash'' will be grayed-out. Finally, disable {{ic|can-change-accels}} to prevent accidental hotkey changes. | Unless you select a file or folder, ''Move to Trash'' will be grayed-out. Finally, disable {{ic|can-change-accels}} to prevent accidental hotkey changes. | ||
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Another option is to install the ''Alternative Status Menu'' extension. See the section on shell extensions. The alternative menu extension installs a new status menu with a non-hidden '''''Power Off''''' entry. | Another option is to install the ''Alternative Status Menu'' extension. See the section on shell extensions. The alternative menu extension installs a new status menu with a non-hidden '''''Power Off''''' entry. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Modify Keyboard with XkbOptions === | ||
+ | |||
+ | Using the '''dconf-editor''', navigate to the key named ''org.gnome.desktop.input-sources.xkb-options'' and add desired XkbOptions (e.g. 'caps:swapescape') to the list. | ||
+ | |||
+ | See /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/xorg for all XkbOptions and then /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/* for the respective descriptions. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Toggle keyboard layouts === | ||
+ | Since Gnome does not consider any configuration in {{ic|/etc/X11/conf.d/*.conf}} you have to set the command for layout switching either via the control center with the options ''Switch to previous source'' and ''Switch to next source'' or if you want to use Alt - Shift combination you have to use the Gnome-Tweak-Tool and set ''Typing -> Modifiers-only input sources -> select Alt-shift''. For more information see also the forum [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=152127 thread]. | ||
== Integrated messaging (Empathy) == | == Integrated messaging (Empathy) == | ||
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− | '''"3 | + | '''"3.x"''' indicates the extension works with every Shell version. If it breaks, you'll know to change it back. |
=== The "Windows" key === | === The "Windows" key === | ||
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;; | ;; | ||
esac | esac | ||
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− | |||
− | |||
=== Panels do not respond to right-click in fallback mode === | === Panels do not respond to right-click in fallback mode === |
Revision as of 07:22, 3 March 2013
zh-CN:GNOME zh-TW:GNOME Template:Article summary start Template:Article summary text Template:Article summary heading Template:Article summary text Template:Article summary heading Template:Article summary wiki Template:Article summary wiki Template:Article summary wiki Template:Article summary end
From About Us | GNOME:
- The GNOME Project was started in 1997 by two then university students, Miguel de Icaza and Federico Mena. Their aim: to produce a free (as in freedom) desktop environment. Since then, GNOME has grown into a hugely successful enterprise. Used by millions of people across the world, it is the most popular desktop environment for GNU/Linux and UNIX-type operating systems. The desktop has been utilised in successful, large-scale enterprise and public deployments, and the project’s developer technologies are utilised in a large number of popular mobile devices.
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Installation
- 3 Using the shell
- 4 Customizing GNOME appearance
- 4.1 Overall appearance
- 4.2 Nautilus
- 4.3 Totem
- 4.4 GNOME panel
- 4.5 Activity view
- 4.5.1 Remove entries from Applications view
- 4.5.2 To Remove Wine Launchers from the Applications menu
- 4.5.3 Change application icon size
- 4.5.4 Change dash icon size
- 4.5.5 Change switcher (alt-tab) icon size
- 4.5.6 Change system tray icon size
- 4.5.7 Disable Activity hot corner hovering
- 4.5.8 Disable Message Tray hovering
- 4.6 Titlebar
- 4.7 Login screen
- 4.8 Other tips
- 5 Miscellaneous settings
- 5.1 Automatic program launch upon logging in
- 5.2 Editing applications menu
- 5.3 Some 'System Settings' not preserved
- 5.4 Disable sound effects in Terminal
- 5.5 Move dialog windows
- 5.6 GNOME shell extensions
- 5.7 Default file browser/replace Nautilus
- 5.8 Default PDF viewer
- 5.9 Default terminal
- 5.10 Middle mouse button
- 5.11 Display dimming
- 5.12 Alternate window manager
- 6 Hidden features
- 7 Integrated messaging (Empathy)
- 8 Forcing fallback mode
- 9 Troubleshooting
- 9.1 When an extension breaks GNOME
- 9.2 Extensions do not work after GNOME 3 update
- 9.3 The "Windows" key
- 9.4 Keyboard Shortcut do not work with only conky running
- 9.5 xf86-video-ati driver: flickers from time to time
- 9.6 Window opens behind other windows when using multiple monitors
- 9.7 Multiple monitors and dock extension
- 9.8 No event sounds for Empathy and other programs
- 9.9 Gnome sets the keyboard layout to USA after every log in
- 9.10 Panels do not respond to right-click in fallback mode
- 9.11 "Show Desktop" keyboard shortcut does not work
- 9.12 Nautilus does not start
- 9.13 Epiphany does not play Flash videos
- 9.14 Unable to apply stored configuration for monitors
- 9.15 Lock button fails to re-enable touchpad
- 9.16 Unable to connect to secured Wi-Fi networks
- 9.17 "Any command has been defined 33"
- 9.18 GDM and GNOME use X11 cursors
- 9.19 Tracker & Documents don't list any local files
- 9.20 Passwords are not remembered
- 9.21 Windows can't be modified with Alt-Key + Mouse-Button
- 10 External links
Introduction
GNOME 3 has two interfaces:
- GNOME Shell is the new standard layout using the Mutter window manager. It acts as a composite manager for the desktop, employing hardware graphics acceleration to provide effects aimed at reducing screen clutter.
- fallback mode is similar to GNOME 2, it uses gnome-panel and Metacity instead of gnome-shell/Mutter. No hardware acceleration is required to run fallback mode.
GNOME-session automatically detects if your computer is incapable of running GNOME Shell and starts fallback mode when appropriate. When you are on fallback mode you can still replace GNOME's default window manager with your preferred one.
Installation
GNOME 3 is available in the official repositories and can be installed with two groups of packages:
- gnome contains the core desktop environment and applications required for the standard GNOME experience.
- gnome-extra contains various optional tools such as a media player, a calculator, an editor and other non-critical applications that go well with the GNOME desktop. Installing this group is optional.
Note that installing only gnome-extra will not pull the whole gnome group by dependencies: if you really want everything you must explicitly install both groups.
D-Bus daemon
The GNOME desktop requires the D-Bus daemon. Refer to the D-Bus article for setup instructions.
Starting GNOME
Graphical log-in
For the best desktop integration, login manager GDM is recommended. Other login managers can be used in place of GDM. Check out the wiki article on display managers to learn how desktop environments are started.
The login manager is a limited process entrusted with duties that impact the system. The PolicyKit wiki article addresses the topic of system‑wide access control.
Starting GNOME manually
If you prefer to start GNOME manually from the console, add the following line to your ~/.xinitrc
file:
~/.xinitrc
exec gnome-session
After the exec
command is placed, GNOME can be launched by typing startx
.
See xinitrc for details, such as preserving the logind (and/or consolekit) session.
Using the shell
GNOME cheat sheet
The GNOME web site has a helpful GNOME Shell cheat sheet explaining task switching, keyboard use, window control, the panel, overview mode, and more.
Restarting the shell
After appearance tweaks you are often asked to restart the GNOME shell. You could log out and log back in, but it is simpler and faster to issue the following keyboard command. Restart the shell by pressing Template:Keypress + Template:Keypress then Template:Keypress then Template:Keypress
Shell crashes
Certain tweaks and/or repeated shell restarts may cause the shell to crash when a restart is attempted. In this case, you are informed about the crash and then forced to log out. Some shell changes, such as switching between GNOME Shell and fallback mode, cannot be accomplished via a keyboard restart; you must log out and log back in to effect them.
It is common sense — but worth repeating — that valuable documents should be saved (and perhaps closed) before attempting a shell restart. It is not strictly necessary; open windows and documents usually remain intact after a shell restart.
Shell freezes
Sometimes shell extensions freeze the GNOME Shell. In this case a possible strategy is to switch to another terminal via Template:Keypress through Template:Keypress, log in, and restart X by:
# pkill X
The GNOME Shell then restarts automatically.
If this doesn't work, you can try to restart your login manager. For instance, if you use GDM, try:
# systemctl restart gdm.service
Customizing GNOME appearance
Overall appearance
GNOME 3 may have "started from scratch", but like most large software projects it is assembled from parts dating to different eras. There is not one all-encompassing configuration tool. The new Systems Settings tool is a big improvement over previous control panels. System Settings is well-organized, but you may find yourself wishing for more control over system appearance.
You may be familiar with existing configuration tools: some of these still work; many will not. Some settings are not readily exposed for you to change. Indubitably, many settings will migrate to newer tools and/or become exposed as time progresses and the wider community embraces and extends the latest GNOME desktop.
Gsettings
A new command-line tool gsettings stores data in a binary format, unlike previous tools using XML text. A tutorial Customizing the GNOME Shell explores the power of gsettings.
GNOME tweak tool
This graphical tool customizes fonts, themes, titlebar buttons and other settings.
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool
GTK3 theme via settings.ini
Like ~/.gtkrc-2.0
with GTK2+, it is possible to set a GTK3 theme via ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
.
Variable $XDG_CONFIG_HOME
is usually set to ~/.config
Adwaita, the default GNOME 3 theme, is a part of gnome-themes-standard. Additional GTK3 themes can be found at Deviantart web site. For example:
${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
[Settings] gtk-theme-name = Adwaita gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome # next option is applicable only if selected theme supports it gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme = true # set font name and dimension gtk-font-name = Sans 10
It is necessary to restart the GNOME shell for settings to be applied. More GTK options are found at GNOME developer documentation.
Icon theme
Using gnome-tweak-tool version 3.0.3 and later, you can place any icon theme you wish to use inside ~/.icons
.
Usefully, GNOME 3 is compatible with GNOME 2 icon themes, which means you are not stuck with the default icons. To install a new set of icons, copy your desired icon theme's directory to ~/.icons
. As an example:
$ cp -R /home/user/Desktop/my_icon_theme ~/.icons
The new theme my_icon_theme is now selectable using gnome-tweak-tool
under interface.
Alternatively, you may textually select your icon theme with no need for gnome-tweak-tool. Add the GTK icon theme name to ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
. Please note, not to use "" as your settings would not be recognised then.
${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
... previous lines ... gtk-icon-theme-name = my_new_icon_theme
Nautilus
See Nautilus.
Totem
To play back h.264 videos, you need to install gst-libav
For more information on gstreamer hardware acceleration, see Gstreamer: Hardware Acceleration.
GNOME panel
Show date in top bar
By default GNOME displays only the weekday and time in the top bar. This can be changed with the following command. Changes take effect immediately.
GNOME 3.4.2:
# gsettings set org.gnome.shell.clock show-date true
GNOME 3.6.2:
# gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface clock-show-date true
Since GNOME 3.6, the "Log Out" entry in the user menu is only shown when multiple non-root users are present in the system.
To always enable this entry, run the following command from a terminal:
# gsettings set org.gnome.shell always-show-log-out true
You can also change this in dconf-editor: Navigate to org.gnome.shell, then check the "always-show-log-out" checkbox.
Then, restart the GNOME shell:
Hiding icons in the top bar
When doing a GNOME install, some unwanted icons might appear in the panel. These icons can be removed either with GNOME shell extensions or by manually editing the GNOME panel script.
Hiding icons with shell extensions
To remove the accessibility icon, one can use the https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/112/remove-accesibility/.
The best way to use extensions is installing them from the gnome extensions web page like the one above.
Manually editing the GNOME panel script
For example, to remove the universal access icon, comment out the 'a11y' line in PANEL_ITEM_IMPLEMENTATIONS:
/usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/panel.js
const PANEL_ITEM_IMPLEMENTATIONS = { 'activities': ActivitiesButton, 'appMenu': AppMenuButton, 'dateMenu': imports.ui.dateMenu.DateMenuButton, // 'a11y': imports.ui.status.accessibility.ATIndicator, 'volume': imports.ui.status.volume.Indicator, 'battery': imports.ui.status.power.Indicator, 'lockScreen': imports.ui.status.lockScreenMenu.Indicator, 'keyboard': imports.ui.status.keyboard.InputSourceIndicator, 'powerMenu': imports.gdm.powerMenu.PowerMenuButton, 'userMenu': imports.ui.userMenu.UserMenuButton };
Then, save your results and restart the shell:
Show battery icon
To show the battery tray icon, install gnome-power-manager from the official repositories.
A quick way to do it system-wide for GNOME 3.2 is to change line 539 of /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/userMenu.js
and line 103 of /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/gdm/powerMenu.js
. (For GNOME versions prior to 3.2, look at line 153 of /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/statusMenu.js
.) This change takes effect the next time GNOME Shell is started.
/usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/userMenu.js
// this._haveSuspend = this._upClient.get_can_suspend(); // Comment this line out. this._haveSuspend = false; // Use this line instead.
To accomplish this, paste the following command(s) in your terminal:
GNOME_SHELL=/usr/share/gnome-shell SCRIPTS=`grep -lr get_can_suspend $GNOME_SHELL/js` for FILE in $SCRIPTS ; do sed -r -i -e 's/[^= ]+.get_can_suspend\(\)/false/' "$FILE" done
The above change does not persist after a GNOME version update, however. A more perennial solution is to add the code above in some gdm or system startup script (eg: /etc/rc.local), to keep the "suspend" option disabled after updates.
Alternatively you can install the GNOME shell extension alternative status menu
in package gnome-shell-extension-alternative-status-menu.
Eliminate delay when logging out
The following tweak removes the confirmation dialog and sixty second delay for logging out.
This dialog normally appears when you log out with the status menu. This tweak affects the Power Off dialog as well. This is not a system-wide change; it affects only the user who enters this command. The change takes effect immediately after entering the command.
$ gsettings set org.gnome.SessionManager logout-prompt 'false'
Show system monitor
Install the gnome-shell-system-monitor-applet-gitAUR extension available in the AUR.
Show weather information
Install gnome-shell-extension-weather-neroth-gitAUR from AUR.
Activity view
Remove entries from Applications view
Like other desktop environments, GNOME uses .desktop files to populate its Applications view. These text files are in /usr/share/applications
. It is not possible to edit these files from a folder view ‒ Nautilus does not treat their icons as text files. Use a terminal to display or edit .desktop file entries.
# ls /usr/share/applications # nano /usr/share/applications/foo.desktop
For system wide changes, edit files in /usr/share/applications
. For local changes, make a copy of foo.desktop in your home folder.
$ cp /usr/share/applications/foo.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/
Edit .desktop files to fit your wishes.
The following command appends one line to a .desktop file and hides its associated icon from Applications view:
$ echo "NoDisplay=true" >> foo.desktop
Enter ~/.local/share/applications/wine/Programs/
and look for the wine application's name. In the directories are the ".desktop" files which configure the launchers. Remove the program directory to easily remove the launchers.
Change application icon size
One awkward selection of the GNOME designers is their choice of large icons for Applications view. This view is painful when working with a small screen containing many large application icons. There is a way to reduce the icon size. It is done by editing the GNOME-Shell theme.
Edit system files directly (make a backup first) or copy theme files to your local folder and edit these files.
- For the default theme, edit
/usr/share/gnome-shell/theme/gnome-shell.css
- For user themes, edit
/usr/share/themes/<UserTheme>/gnome-shell/gnome-shell.css
Edit gnome-shell.css and replace the following values. Afterward, restart the GNOME shell.
gnome-shell.css
... /* Application Launchers and Grid */ .icon-grid { spacing: 18px; -shell-grid-horizontal-item-size: 82px; -shell-grid-vertical-item-size: 82px; } .icon-grid .overview-icon { icon-size: 48px; } ...
Change dash icon size
GNOME's Activities view has a dash on the left hand side, the size of the icons in this dash will scale depending on the amount of icons set to display. The scaling can be manipulated or set to a constant icon size. To do so, edit /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/dash.js
.
dash.js
... let iconSizes = [ 16, 22, 24, 32, 48, 64 ]; ...
Change switcher (alt-tab) icon size
GNOME comes with a built in task switcher, the size of the icons in this task switcher will scale depending on the amount of icons set to display. The scaling can be manipulated or set to a constant icon size. To do so, edit /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/altTab.js
altTab.js
... const iconSizes = [96, 64, 48, 32, 22]; ...
Change system tray icon size
GNOME comes with a built in system tray, visible when the mouse is hovered over the bottom right corner of the screen. The size of the icons in this tray is set to a fixed value of 24. To change this value, edit /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/messageTray.js
messageTray.js
... ICON_SIZE: 24, ...
Disable Activity hot corner hovering
To disable automatic activity view when the hot corner is hovered, edit /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/layout.js
(that was panel.js in GNOME 3.0.x) :
layout.js
this._corner = new Clutter.Rectangle({ name: 'hot-corner', width: 1, height: 1, opacity: 0, reactive: true });icon-size: 48px; }
and set reactive
to false
. GNOME Shell needs to be restarted.
Disable Message Tray hovering
The message tray is shown when the mouse hovers at the bottom of the screen for one second. To disable this behavior, comment out the following line in /usr/share/gnome-shell/js/ui/messageTray.js
:
messageTray.js
//pointerWatcher.addWatch(TRAY_DWELL_CHECK_INTERVAL, Lang.bind(this, this._checkTrayDwell));
GNOME Shell needs to be restarted. The message tray is still visible in activity view.
Titlebar
Remove title bar
Install Maximus GNOME shell extension.
It can also have white list / black list of application.
This extension requires xorg-xprop, install it if you don't have it already.
pacman -S xorg-xprop
More about GNOME shell extensions.
Reduce title bar height
- global - edit
/usr/share/themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml
, search fortitle_vertical_pad
and and reduce its value to a minimum of0
. - user-only - copy
/usr/share/themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml
to/home/$USER/.themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml
, search fortitle_vertical_pad
and reduce its value to a minimum of0
.
To restore the original values, install the package gnome-themes-standard from the official repositories or remove /home/$USER/.themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml
Reorder titlebar buttons
At present this setting can be changed through dconf-editor.
For example, we move the close and minimize buttons to the left side of the titlebar. Open dconf-editor and locate the org.gnome.shell.overrides.button_layout key. Change its value to close,minimize:
(Colon symbol designates the spacer between left side and right side of the titlebar.) Use whichever buttons in whatever order you prefer. You cannot use a button more than once. Also, keep in mind that certain buttons are deprecated. Restart the shell to see your new button arrangement.
Hide titlebar when maximized
# sed -i -r 's|(<frame_geometry name="max")|\1 has_title="false"|' /usr/share/themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml
Restart the GNOME shell. After this tweak, you may find it difficult to un-maximize a window when there is no titlebar to grab.
With suitable keybindings, you should be able to use Template:Keypress, Template:Keypress or Template:Keypress to remedy the situation.
To prevent metacity-theme-3.xml
from being overwritten each time package gnome-themes-standard is upgraded, add its name to /etc/pacman.conf
with NoUpgrade
.
/etc/pacman.conf
... previous lines ... # Pacman won't upgrade packages listed in IgnorePkg and members of IgnoreGroup # IgnorePkg = # IgnoreGroup = NoUpgrade = usr/share/themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml # Do not add a leading slash to the path ... more lines ...
To restore original Adwaita theme values, install the gnome-themes-standard package.
Login screen
To modify characteristics of the login screen (GDM, the GNOME display manager) the following lines can be executed. The first command allows all users, including "gdm", to access X settings (albeit temporarily). This command creates a temporary vulnerability, so be advised. The second command opens a bash session with the credentials of user "gdm".# xhost + # su - gdm -s /bin/bash $ dbus-launch
The third command prints DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS and DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID. We must export these variables. Either manually export the below two variables shown in the output of dbus-launch like this:
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-Jb433gMQHS,guid=fc14d4bf3d000e38276a5a2200000d38 $ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID=4283
Or use the follow command:
$ `dbus-launch | sed "s/^/export /"`
Check to see if dconf-service is running and if not, start it like this
$ /usr/lib/dconf/dconf-service &
Login background image
Once session variables have been exported as explained above, you may issue commands to retrieve or set items used by GDM.
The easiest way to changes all the settings is by launching the Configuration Editor gui with the command
$ dconf-editor
The location of each setting is the same as in the command line style of configuration shown below:
The following is the command-line approach to retrieve or set the file name used for GDM's wallpaper.
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri $ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri 'file:///usr/share/backgrounds/gnome/SundownDunes.jpg' $ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-options 'zoom' ## Possible values: centered, none, scaled, spanned, stretched, wallpaper, zoom
An alternative graphical interface to changing themes (gtk3, icons and cursor), the wallpaper and minor other settings of the GDM login screen, you can install gdm3setupAUR from AUR.
Larger font for login
This tweak enlarges the login font with a scaling factor. It is the same method employed by Accessibility Manager on the desktop.
You must export the GDM session variables before performing this tweak.
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface text-scaling-factor '1.25'
Turning off the sound
This tweak disables the audible feedback heard when the system volume is adjusted (via keyboard) on the login screen. You must first export the GDM session variables.
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound event-sounds 'false'
If the above tweak does not work for you or you are unable to export the GDM session variables, there is always the easiest solution to the "ready sound" problem: mute or lower the sound while in GDM login screen using the media keys (if available) of your keyboard.
Make the power button interactive
The default installation sets the power button to suspend the system. Power off or Show dialog is a better choice. You must first export the GDM session variables as outlined previously.
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power button-power 'interactive' $ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power button-hibernate 'interactive' $ gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power
Prevent suspend when closing the lid
On some systems it happens that your laptop suspends when you are closing the lid despite having set the options Laptop lid close action on battery and Laptop lid close action on AC to blank. If this is the case, append the following line to /etc/systemd/logind.conf
:
HandleLidSwitch=ignore
GDM keyboard layout
GDM does not know about your GNOME 3 desktop keyboard settings. To change keyboard settings used by GDM, set your layout using Xorg configuration. Refer to this section of the Beginner's Guide.
Other tips
See GNOME Tips.
Miscellaneous settings
Automatic program launch upon logging in
Specify which programs start automatically after logging in using gnome-session-properties
. This tool is part of the gnome-session package.
$ gnome-session-properties
gnome-menus provides gmenu-simple-editor which can show/hide menu entries.
alacarte provides a more complete menu editor for adding/editing menu entries.
Some 'System Settings' not preserved
GNOME 3 is using systemd (an init daemon for Linux) with more modern capabilities. Previously GNOME programs were altered to use Arch's init functionalities to gather settings but either the maintenance required to do this or possibly this is because of a transitioning to the new init system (read more about this here). Areas that settings will not be preserved are Date and Time and adding ICC profiles in the Color menu and possibly others.
To gain the functionality back, systemd needs to be installed and the gdm.service and NetworkManager.service services need to be enabled.
Disable sound effects in Terminal
By default the terminal has these annoying sound effects when e.g. pushing the tab button on your keyboard. One solution is to turn off or mute all sound effects in the settings menu of Gnome. However, this will also turn off notification sounds in other application such as Skype. A better solution is to open a terminal, go to Edit -> Profile Preferences -> General and untick Terminal bell.
Move dialog windows
The default configuration for dialogs will not allow you to move them which causes problems in some cases. To change this you will need to use gconf-editor and change this setting:
/desktop/gnome/shell/windows/attach_modal_dialogs
After the change you will need to restart the shell for it to take affect.
GNOME shell extensions
GNOME Shell can be customized with extensions. These provide features such as a dock or a widget for changing the theme.
Many extensions are collected and hosted by extensions.gnome.org. They can be browsed and installed simply activating them in the browser. More information about gnome shell extensions can be found here.
See when an extension breaks GNOME for troubleshooting information.
Default file browser/replace Nautilus
You can trick GNOME into using another file browser by editing the Exec
line in /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop
. See the correct parameters in the .desktop
file of the file manager of your choice, e.g.:
/usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop
[...] Exec=thunar %F OR Exec=pcmanfm %U OR Exec=nemo %U [...]
Default PDF viewer
In some cases when you have installed Inkscape or other graphic programs Evince Document Viewer might no longer be selected as the default PDF application. If it is not available in the Open With entry which would be the GUI solution, you can use the following user command to make it the default application again.
xdg-mime default evince.desktop application/pdf
Default terminal
gsettings
(which replaces gconftool-2
) is used to set the default terminal. The setting affects nautilus-open-terminal (a Nautilus extension).
To make urxvt the default, run:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec urxvtc gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec-arg "'-e'"
-e
flag is for executing a command. When nautilus-open-terminal invokes urxvtc
, it puts a cd
command at the end of the command line so that the new terminal starts in the directory you opened it from. Other terminals will require a different (perhaps empty) exec-arg
.Middle mouse button
By default, GNOME 3 disables middle mouse button emulation regardless of Xorg settings (Emulate3Buttons). To enable middle mouse button emulation use:
$ gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.peripherals.mouse middle-button-enabled true
Display dimming
By default GNOME 3 has a ten second idle timeout to dim the screen regardless of the battery and AC state:
gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power idle-dim-time
To set a new value type the following
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power idle-dim-time <int>
where <int> is the value in seconds
Alternate window manager
You can use an alternate window manager with GNOME by forcing fallback mode and creating two files:
/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/xmonad.session
[GNOME Session] Name=Xmonad session RequiredComponents=gnome-panel;gnome-settings-daemon; RequiredProviders=windowmanager;notifications; DefaultProvider-windowmanager=xmonad DefaultProvider-notifications=notification-daemon
/usr/share/xsessions/xmonad-gnome-session.desktop
[Desktop Entry] Name=Xmonad GNOME Comment=Tiling window manager TryExec=/usr/bin/gnome-session Exec=gnome-session --session=xmonad Type=XSession
The next time you log in, you should have the ability to choose Xmonad GNOME as your session.
If there isn't a .desktop file for the window manager, you'll need to create one. Example for wmii:
/usr/share/applications/wmii.desktop
[Desktop Entry] Version=1.0 Type=Application Name=wmii TryExec=wmii Exec=wmii
For more information, see this article on running awesome as the window manager in GNOME.
Hidden features
GNOME 3 hides many useful options which you can customize with dconf-editor. GNOME 3 also supports gconf-editor for settings that have not yet migrated to dconf.
Changing hotkeys
It is possible to manually change the keys via an application's so-called accel map file. Where it is to be found is up to the application: For instance, Thunar's is at ~/.config/Thunar/accels.scm, whereas Nautilus's is located at ~/.config/nautilus/accels and ~/.gnome2/accels/nautilus on old release.
The file should contain a list of possible hotkeys, each unchanged line commented out with a leading ";" that has to be removed for a change to become active. For example to replace the hotkey used by Nautilus to move files to the trash folder, change the line :
; (gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/DirViewActions/Trash" "<Primary>Delete")
to this :
(gtk_accel_path "<Actions>/DirViewActions/Trash" "Delete")
The file is regenerate regularly so don't waist time on commenting the file. The uncommented line will stay but every comment you may add will be lost.
Nautilus 3.4 and older
Firstly, use dconf-editor to place a checkmark next to can-change-accels
in the key named org.gnome.desktop.interface.
We will replace the hotkey — a.k.a. keyboard shortcut, keyboard accelerator — used by Nautilus to move files to the trash folder. The default assignment is a somewhat-awkward Template:Keypress.
- Open Nautilus, select any file, and click Edit on the menu bar.
- Hover over the Move to Trash menu item.
- While hovering, press Template:Keypress. The current accelerator is now unset.
- Press the key that you wish to become the new keyboard accelerator.
- Press Template:Keypress to make the new accelerator be the Delete key.
Unless you select a file or folder, Move to Trash will be grayed-out. Finally, disable can-change-accels
to prevent accidental hotkey changes.
Currently, the GNOME designers have hidden the Shutdown option inside the status menu. To shut down your system with the status menu, click the menu and hold down the Template:Keypress key so that the Suspend item changes to Power Off. The subsequent dialog allows you to shut down or restart your system.
If you disable the Suspend menu item system-wide as described elsewhere in this document you do not have to go through these motions.
Another option is to install the Alternative Status Menu extension. See the section on shell extensions. The alternative menu extension installs a new status menu with a non-hidden Power Off entry.
Modify Keyboard with XkbOptions
Using the dconf-editor, navigate to the key named org.gnome.desktop.input-sources.xkb-options and add desired XkbOptions (e.g. 'caps:swapescape') to the list.
See /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/xorg for all XkbOptions and then /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/* for the respective descriptions.
Toggle keyboard layouts
Since Gnome does not consider any configuration in /etc/X11/conf.d/*.conf
you have to set the command for layout switching either via the control center with the options Switch to previous source and Switch to next source or if you want to use Alt - Shift combination you have to use the Gnome-Tweak-Tool and set Typing -> Modifiers-only input sources -> select Alt-shift. For more information see also the forum thread.
Integrated messaging (Empathy)
Empathy, the engine behind integrated messaging, and all system settings based on messaging accounts will not show up unless the telepathy group of packages or at least one of the backends (telepathy-gabble, or telepathy-haze, for example) is installed.
These packages are not included in default Arch GNOME installs. You can install the Telepathy and optionally any backends with:
# pacman -S telepathy
Without telepathy, Empathy will not open the account management dialog and can get stuck in this state. If this happens -- even after quitting Empathy cleanly -- the /usr/bin/empathy-accounts
application can remain running and will need to be killed before you can add any new accounts.
View descriptions of telepathy components on the Freedesktop.org Telepathy Wiki.
Forcing fallback mode
Your session automatically starts in fallback mode when gnome-shell is not present, or when your hardware cannot handle graphics acceleration — such as running within a virtual machine or running on old hardware.
If you wish to enable fallback mode while still having gnome-shell installed, make the following system change:
Go to System Settings (gnome-control-center
) -> Details -> Graphics and set Forced Fallback Mode to ON
.
You can alternatively choose the type of session from a terminal with gsettings
:
$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.session session-name gnome-fallback
You may want to log out after making the change. You will see the chosen type of session upon your next login.
To disable the forced-fallback mode change it back to gnome
.
Troubleshooting
When an extension breaks GNOME
When enabling shell extensions causes GNOME breakage, you should first remove the user-theme and auto-move-windows extensions from their installation directory.
The installation directory could be one of ~/.local/share/gnome‑shell/extensions,
/usr/share/gnome‑shell/extensions,
or /usr/local/share/gnome‑shell/extensions
. Removing these two extension-containing folders may fix the breakage. Otherwise, isolate the problem extension with trial‑and‑error.
Removing or adding an extension-containing folder to the aforementioned directories removes or adds the corresponding extension to your system. Details on GNOME Shell extensions are available at the GNOME web site.
Extensions do not work after GNOME 3 update
Locate the folder where your extensions are installed. It might be ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions
or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions
.
Edit each occurrence of metadata.json
which appears in each extension sub-folder.
Insert: | "shell-version": ["3.6"]
|
Instead of (for example): | "shell-version": ["3.4"]
|
"3.x" indicates the extension works with every Shell version. If it breaks, you'll know to change it back.
The "Windows" key
By default, this key is mapped to the "overlay-key" to launch the Overview. You can remove this key mapping to free up your Windows Key
(also called Mod4
), which GNOME calls Super_L
, by utilizing gsettings
.
Example:
gsettings set org.gnome.mutter overlay-key 'Foo';
.
You can leave out Foo to simply remove any binding to that function.
Alt+F1
to launch the Overview.Keyboard Shortcut do not work with only conky running
The gnome-shell keyboard shortcuts like Template:Keypress, Template:Keypress, and the media key shortcuts do not work if conky is the only program running. However if another application like gedit is running, then the keyboard shortcuts work.
solution: edit .conkyrc
own_window yes own_window_transparent yes own_window_argb_visual yes own_window_type dock own_window_class Conky own_window_hints undecorated,below,sticky,skip_taskbar,skip_pager
xf86-video-ati driver: flickers from time to time
If you use that driver, your desktop might flicker a lot when you hover the bottom right corner, and also when you start up gdm.
Write the following in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-radeon.conf
and see if it works then:
Section "Device" Identifier "Radeon" Driver "radeon" Option "EnablePageFlip" "off" EndSection
Window opens behind other windows when using multiple monitors
This is possibly a bug in GNOME Shell which causes new windows to open behind others. Unchecking "workspaces_only_on_primary" in desktop/gnome/shell/windows using gconf-editor solves this problem.
Multiple monitors and dock extension
If you have multiple monitors configured using Nvidia Twinview, the dock extension may get sandwiched in-between the monitors. You can edit the source of this extension to reposition the dock to a position of your choosing.
Edit /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/dock@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org/extension.js
and locate this line in the source:
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-2, (primary.height-height)/2);
The first parameter is the X position of the dock display, by subtracting 15 pixels as opposed to 2 pixels from this it correctly positioned on my primary monitor, you can play around with any X,Y coordinate pair to position it correctly.
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-15, (primary.height-height)/2);
No event sounds for Empathy and other programs
If you are using OSS, you may want to install libcanberra-ossAUR from the AUR.
Gnome sets the keyboard layout to USA after every log in
See the [this] bug report for more information. It is related to GDM and can be fixed by choosing the correct layout at GDM login startup. However, users who do not use GDM or any login manager but a pure startx approach have to use a workaround. Create the file ~/.keyboard
and make it executable chmod +x
:
# Set the correct keyboard layout after Gnome start setxkbmap -layout "us,pl" -variant altgr-intl -option "grp:alt_shift_toggle" nodeadkeys
Now run gnome-session-properties
and add this .keyboard file to the programs run at startup:
Name: Keyboard layout Command: /home/username/.keyboard Comment: Sets the correct keyboard layout after Gnome start
Further you need to create the executable file /etc/pm/sleep.d/90_keyboard
with the following content in order to run the script on resume from suspend and hibernation.
#!/bin/bash case $1 in resume|thaw) /home/username/.keyboard ;; esac
Panels do not respond to right-click in fallback mode
Check Configuration Editor: /apps/metacity/general/mouse_button_modifier. This modifier key (Template:Keypress, Template:Keypress, etc) used for normal windows is also used by panels and their applets.
"Show Desktop" keyboard shortcut does not work
GNOME developers treated the corresponding binding as bug (see https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=643609) due to Minimization being deprecated. To show the desktop again assign ALT+STRG+D to the following setting:
System Settings --> Keyboard --> Shortcuts --> Navigation --> Hide all normal windows
Nautilus does not start
- Press Template:Keypress
- Enter
gnome-tweak-tool
- Select the File Manager tab.
- Locate option Have file manager handle the desktop and assure it is toggled off.
Epiphany does not play Flash videos
Adobe Flash Player is buggy and does not work directly in Epiphany. See Epiphany#Flash for a workaround involving nspluginwrapper.
Unable to apply stored configuration for monitors
If you encounter this message try to disable the xrandr gnome-settings-daemon plugin :
$ dconf write /org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/xrandr/active false
Lock button fails to re-enable touchpad
Some laptops have a touchpad lock button that disables the touchpad so that users can type without worrying about touching the touchpad. It appears currently that although GNOME can lock the touchpad by pressing this button, it cannot unlock it. If the touchpad gets locked you can do the following to unlock it.
- Start a terminal. You can do this by pressing Template:Keypress, then typing
gnome-terminal
followed by pressing Template:Keypress. - Type in the following command
$ xinput set-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Device Enabled" 1
Unable to connect to secured Wi-Fi networks
You can see the network connections listing, but choosing an encrypted network fails to show a dialog for key entry. You may need to install network-manager-applet. See GNOME NetworkManager setup.
"Any command has been defined 33"
When you press the Template:Keypress key (sometimes labeled Template:Keypress or Template:Keypress) to take a screenshot, and you got "Any command has been defined 33", install metacity.
GDM and GNOME use X11 cursors
To fix this issue, become root and put the following into /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme
(creating the directory /usr/share/icons/default
if necessary):
/usr/share/icons/default/index.theme
[Icon Theme] Inherits=Adwaita
Note: Instead of "Adwaita", you can choose another cursor theme (e.g. Human). Alternatively, you can install gnome-cursors-fixAUR from the AUR.
Tracker & Documents don't list any local files
In order for Tracker (and, therefore, Documents) to detect your local files, they must be stored in directories that it knows of. If your documents are contained in one of the usual XDG standard directories (i.e. "Documents" or "Music"), you should install xdg-user-dirs and run:
# xdg-user-dirs-update
This will create all of the usual XDG home directories if they don't already exist and it will create the config file definining these directories that Tracker and Documents depend upon.
Passwords are not remembered
If you get a password prompt every time you login, and you find password are not saved, you might need to create/set a default keyring:
$ pacman -S seahorse
Open "Passwords and Keys" from the menu or run "seahorse". Select View > By Keyring. If there is no keyring in the left column (it will be marked with a lock icon), go to File > New > Password Keyring and give it a nice name. You will be asked to enter a password. If you do not give it a password it will be unlocked automatically even when using autologin, but passwords will not be stored securely. Finally, right-click on the keyring you just created and select "Set as default".
Windows can't be modified with Alt-Key + Mouse-Button
Change the dconf-setting "org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences.mouse-button-modifier" from <Super> back to <Alt>. It is not possible to change this with System Settings > "Keyboard" > "Shortcuts", you will find there only the regular keybindings. The developers of GNOME decided to change this from 3.4 to 3.6 because of this bug report https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=607797
External links
- The Official Website of GNOME
- Extensions for GNOME-shell
- Themes, icons, and backgrounds:
- GTK/GNOME programs: