Ever since Gnome started the extensions site where developers can submit their extensions to the library, there have been a great number of useful extensions that appear in the list. With the new extension site, installation of extensions is simply a mouse click. Gone are the days where we still need to add a custom repository just to install an extension. Below are 10 of the best Gnome Shell extensions that we uncovered from the library.
Installing new extension
Before we start. let’s first touch on the method to install an extension in your Gnome Shell.
1. First, go to the Gnome Shell extension page. Search for the extension that you want to install.
2. Click the “Off” button at the left of the extension title. The slider will now move to “On”.
3. A popup will appear to ask if you want to download and install the extension. Click “Install”.
That’s it.
10 of the best Gnome Shell extensions
1. Frippery Applications Menu
Personally, I feel that the Activities button at the screen top left corner is useless. It serves the same purpose as the Super button (on your keyboard) and moving your mouse cursor to the top left corner, and it has never been utilized. What the Frippery Applications Menu does is to replace the Activities button with the old Gnome 2.x Application Menu. Click on it and it will show all your applications arranged in their respective categories.
It is definitely more useful than the Activities button.
2. Desktop Scroller
If you like to use different workspace to manage your applications and windows, you will find that switching to another workspace is a very troublesome task. You need to go to the Activities overview (either move your mouse to the screen top left corner, or press the Super button) before you can select the workspace.
The Desktop Scroller is a handy extension where you can move your cursor to the right edge of the screen and scroll up/down to switch workspace. This is one useful way to improve your productivity.
3. gTile
Do you like to work with several applications concurrently? If yes, I am sure you will face the issue of arranging your application windows properly to make them viewable. The gTile extension allows you to quickly arrange your windows in tile. The default setting comes with grids of 2×2, 3×2, 4×4, and 6×6, but you can configure the ‘extension.js’ and add your own grid layout.
4. Jump Lists
The Ubuntu Unity comes with a feature where you can edit the jump list items and behavior for each application launcher. In Gnome Shell, you can achieve the same effect with the Jump Lists extension.
The Jump Lists items are based on the recent files that you have opened. It will requires Zeitgeist to be installed.
5. Music Integration
Ubuntu comes with Banshee media player pre-installed and there is an appindicator where you can control the playback of your music. But what if you are not using Banshee? What about Clementine, Rhythmbox or even the Nuvola Player? This Music Integration extension will unite them all. Making use of the MPRIS2, it will integrate all those supported Music Player into your Gnome Shell automatically.
One thing to note, if you install this extension via the Gnome extension, it will not activate the Music Preferences by default. Here is how you can activate it.
Open a terminal and type the following lines:
cd ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/music-integration@brianrobles204 sudo cp org.gnome.shell.extensions.musicintegration.gschema.xml /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/ sudo glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/ |
6. Overlay Icons
This extension adds a big application icon to each application on the Activities overview page. This makes it easier for you to locate the application window that you are looking for.
Seriously, I think this should be part of the Gnome Shell feature, rather than having to install an extension to enable it.
7. Places Status Indicator
This is a simple extension that add a systems status menu for quickly navigating places in the system. Simple, yet useful.
8. Calculator
Instead of opening the calculator app every time you need to do a quick maths, this extension allows you to do calculation on the search overview. Simply go to the Activities overview page and type your maths in the search field. The result will instantly appear at the center of the screen.
9. Coverflow Alt-Tab
Are you bored of the default Alt + Tab windows switching behavior? This extension adds a coverflow animation so you can switch your windows in style.
10. Mint Gnome Shell Extension (MGSE)
The Linux Mint MGSE contains few of the best extensions that are not found in the Gnome Shell Extension library. The Bottom Panel and Windows List extension make Gnome Shell a much better, and usable desktop manager.
Conclusion
Here you are – 10 of the best Gnome Shell extensions. I am sure to have missed out a few, do tell us about your favorite extension in the comments.
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Excellent article.
You need to be a bit careful because at times extensions conflict with each other. Remember that the website is labelled alpha
Thanks for the reminder. I only have a few conflicts with some extensions that perform similar tasks, but generally, they are fine.
My oh my. Add most of this top 10 and you get a wizzo, feature rich, user controlled desktop that looks and works like…
Gnome 2 with Compiz!
What is the clamour for the new Gnome GUI? Is it Gnome 3 or Gnome Shell that we blame for the lunacy? The Gnome guys are ploughing a furrow of utter disregard for all the compalints about enforced desktop layout, lack of user configurability, and a seeming wish to impose their view of how to use a PC desktop on to all of us.
They are right, and we are wrong. I just don’t get this rush to take a paradigm that is a necessity on a mobile device and force it on us as the (only?) paradgm on a desktop. Pay attention to what your objectors are saying or suffer the same fate as Ubuntu. They’ve slipped to fourth most used o/s behind Linux Mint as a result of the insanity of Unity, and the horror of HUD.
For those of you wondering where to go to escape from the asylum, switch Linux Mint Debian Edition using XFCE and Compiz. You will have a killer desktop that will reinvigorate your love for Linux all over again.
I think everyone has a different love for their Linux distro. Some prefer it to be light while some others prefer it to be beautiful. Gnome 3 is, perhaps, different from other desktop manager, especially the one that you are familiar with, but that doesn’t mean it is no good. I do applause the Gnome team for being innovative, and after using it for a while, I do find it quite usable, though it can be more polished.
Getting people to switch distro might sound like a good choice, but considering the time and effort to backup, format, install, setup, restore, not everyone can afford the time, energy and knowledge to do it.
fucking hell I’m fed up with people crying like whiny bitches over Gnome 3 and Unity. It’s not so hard to change them to whatever you like. Jus because you like an interface that is 20 years old, doesn’t mean that others should like or want to use it their. So lets all just join hands in being Linux users, and let people make their own choices as to which distro/shell they want.
The Gnome Shell extensions page doesn’t work for me. I go the the page of the extension I want, change the slider to ON, click Install in the new dialogue box… and nothing happens. When I refresh the page the slider is OFF again
First, can I assume that you are using Gnome Shell? If not, nothing will happen when you install the extensions.
Next, make sure that another version of the same extension is not already installed in your system, as this could cause a conflict.
Also, if you are using the latest version of Gnome Shell, some of the extensions might not be compatible (and Gnome doesn’t reflect that in the extension page), that’s why you can’t install it.
If all fails, install Gnome Tweak tool, download the extension and place it in /.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions folder. Activate it with Gnome Tweak Tool. If you still can’t activate it, most probably that extension is not compatible with your system.
Thanks, I am using Gnome Shell (3.4). I have some extensions installed, the ones from Frippery which I added manually from their website. Now following your advice I have managed to install other extensions by downloading them and activating with Gnome Tweak Tool. But one I would really like to have is Places Status Indicator, however I can’t find anywhere to download it from, the link on its page goes to GNOME GIT source code repository, which I don’t know what to do with. Can you suggest where I can find it?
Great article, thanks for share this valious information! I have made an little shell script to change wallpaper via crontab, you can found here: http://www.smipple.net/snippet/voyeg3r/chwall.sh
I had sent this link to give you an return for that good material :)
How about the new mylauncher extension. It allows you to create a custom menu which can launch folders, shell scripts, links, and apps. You can even add your own menu separators to organize your menu. https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/437/mylauncher/
I gave Unity a spin, but I really just couldn’t get to like it. But Gnome 3 – wow, this is outstanding. The whole concept, setup, ease of use, flexibility (allowing additions of menus, you old fogeys!! – like me :) – just makes this an outstanding UI.
Thanks for the list of extensions; I got 9 of 10 myself!
You are welcome. I think the Unity desktop in Ubuntu 12.10 is much better
than its previous iteration, but personally, I also prefer Gnome Shell than
Unity.