Preventing View Splitting from Affecting Alt+Tab in Gnome

Abstract: Learn how to prevent view splitting from interfering with the Alt+Tab functionality in Gnome.

Created: 2024-08-07 by UserComp.com Editors

Preventing View Splitting When Using Alt+Tab in Gnome on Ubuntu

If you're an Ubuntu user who prefers the Gnome desktop environment, you may have noticed a frustrating side effect when using the Alt+Tab shortcut to switch between windows. Instead of simply switching to the desired window, Gnome splits the view, showing both the currently open window and the window you're switching to side by side. This can be particularly annoying if you're working with multiple windows and need to quickly switch between them.

Why Does View Splitting Occur?

View splitting occurs in Gnome as a result of its default window management behavior. When you use the Alt+Tab shortcut, Gnome displays a grid of all open windows, allowing you to quickly switch between them. However, if you have multiple windows open in the same application, Gnome will split the view to show both windows side by side.

Preventing View Splitting

Fortunately, there are a few ways to prevent view splitting when using Alt+Tab in Gnome on Ubuntu. Here are some options:

Use the Super+Left/Right Shortcut

Instead of using Alt+Tab to switch between windows, you can use the Super+Left and Super+Right shortcuts to move between workspaces. This allows you to keep your windows organized and switch between them without triggering view splitting.


Super+Left: Move to the previous workspace
Super+Right: Move to the next workspace

Change the Alt+Tab Behavior

If you prefer to use Alt+Tab to switch between windows, you can change Gnome's default behavior to prevent view splitting. Here's how:

Open the Gnome Tweaks tool. If you don't have it installed, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

Navigate to the "Keyboard & Mouse" section.
Under "Switch Applications," select "Static Applications."
Uncheck the box for "Include current application in switcher."

This will prevent Gnome from showing multiple windows from the same application when you use Alt+Tab, thereby preventing view splitting.

References

Gnome Tweaks. https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Tweaks
Gnome Keyboard Shortcuts. https://help.gnome.org/users/gnome-help/stable/keyboard-shortcuts-set.html.en
Gnome Shell Extensions. https://extensions.gnome.org/

By following these steps, you can prevent view splitting when using Alt+Tab in Gnome on Ubuntu, making it easier to switch between windows and stay productive.

Tags: Gnome Alt+Tab View Splitting

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