GNOME 3 features a completely reimagined user interface designed to stay out of your way, minimize distractions, and help you get things done. When you first log in, you will see an empty desktop and the top bar.
GNOME shell top bar
GNOME shell top bar
The top bar provides access to your windows and applications, your
calendar and appointments, and
system properties like sound, networking,
and power. In the status menu in the top bar, you can change the volume or
screen brightness, edit your
Activities button
Activities button
To access your windows and applications,
click the
To access your windows and applications,
click the
The dash
On the left of the overview, you will find the dash. The dash shows you your favorite and running applications. Click any icon in the dash to open that application; if the application is already running, it will be highlighted. Clicking its icon will bring up the most recently used window. You can also drag the icon to the overview, or onto any workspace on the right.
Right-clicking the icon displays a menu that allows you to pick any window
in a running application, or to open a new window. You can also click the
icon while holding down
When you enter the overview, you will initially be in the windows overview. This shows you live thumbnails of all the windows on the current workspace.
Click the grid button at the bottom of the dash to display the applications overview. This shows you all the applications installed on your computer. Click any application to run it, or drag an application to the overview or onto a workspace thumbnail. You can also drag an application onto the dash to make it a favorite. Your favorite applications stay in the dash even when they’re not running, so you can access them quickly.
Learn more about starting applications.
Learn more about windows and workspaces.
Clock, calendar, appointments and notifications
Clock, calendar, and appointments
Click the clock on the top bar to see the current date, a month-by-month
calendar, a list of your upcoming appointments and new notifications. You can
also open the calendar by pressing
Learn more about the calendar and appointments.
Learn more about notifications and the message tray.
User menu
User menu
Click the system menu in the top-right corner to manage your system settings and your computer.
These are separate now. Write another blurb about "Notifications". I'm also dropping shell-session-status UNTIL the docs for this get cleared up. It was orphaned and incorrect.
When you leave your computer, you can lock your screen to prevent other people from using it. You can also quickly switch users without logging out completely to give somebody else access to the computer, or you can suspend or power off the computer from the menu. If you have a screen that supports vertical or horizontal rotation, you can quickly rotate the screen from the system menu. If your screen does not support rotation, you will not see the button.
Learn more about switching users, logging out, and turning off your computer.
Lock Screen
When you lock your screen, or it locks automatically, the lock screen is displayed. In addition to protecting your desktop while you’re away from your computer, the lock screen displays the date and time. It also shows information about your battery and network status, and allows you to control media playback.
Learn more about the lock screen.
GNOME features a different approach to switching windows than a permanently visible window list found in other desktop environments. This lets you focus on the task at hand without distractions.
Learn more about switching windows.
Window List
The window list at the bottom of the screen provides access to all your open windows and applications and lets you quickly minimize and restore them.
At the right-hand side of the window list, GNOME displays a short
identifier for the current workspace, such as
If an application or a system component wants to get your attention, it will display a blue icon at the right-hand side of the window list. Clicking the blue icon shows the message tray.