Dual monitor setup on Ubuntu 18.04; when I hit activities only the left monitor switches workspaces while the right monitor just keeps whatever is on its screen. Is there a way to make the workspace span both monitors so that when I switch from one workspace to another both monitors switch?
6 Answers
Had the same problem. Turned out it was super easy to fix.
Install the GNOME Tweaks app. Go to Workspaces and set Display handling to Workspaces span displays. Done!
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5see also askubuntu.com/a/1125322/16985 for additional fixes, e.g. Activities still showing windows from all workspaces on secondary display Mar 13, 2019 at 14:04
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3I had a different problem that this solution fixed. When switching from a single laptop display to a single external display, all the windows were merged into the top workspace, emptying the other workspace. Makes the worksspaces concept useless. Thanks. Jun 26, 2019 at 12:22
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This fixes workspaces but the "window key" dash on additional monitors shows all apps across all workspaces for Ubuntu 18. In Fedora 31, this works.– wilsotcDec 29, 2019 at 15:01
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1I searched for the reverse to keep a zoom session on 2nd monitor while switching workspaces in sharing my screen. Indeed gnome-tweaks: switch "workspaces span displays" to "workspaces on primary display only". Thanks! Mar 1, 2021 at 10:56
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1PSA: "Workspaces" is not available anymore in the Tweaks app in Ubuntu 22.04, but the solution below using gsettings still works.– jpbAug 23, 2022 at 12:22
You can change this behaviour by executing:
gsettings set org.gnome.mutter workspaces-only-on-primary false
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You can install gnome-tweak-tool
via sudo apt install gnome-tweak-tool
.
Then go to Workspaces > Display Handling > And choose Workspaces span displays
In Ubuntu 22.04:
Settings > Multitasking > Multi-Monitor > Workspaces on all displays
Install dconf-editor
:
sudo apt install dconf-editor
Disable the following settings:
dconf write /org/gnome/mutter/workspaces-only-on-primary false
dconf write /org/gnome/shell/overrides/workspaces-only-on-primary false
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@leoschet I suggest you reset dconf settings first. (dconf reset -f /) Dec 18, 2018 at 7:43
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I recommend to you to use the Multi Monitos Add-on extension, available in GNOME Extensions. It is pretty easy to use, and it also gives you the ability to add a panel in the second monitor.
To get up and running all the GNOME extensions config directly in your browser, you only need the following:
Install the gnome-shell-extensions package:
sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions
Install the host connector:
sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell
Install the GNOME Shell integration extension (Chrome) or add-on (Firefox).
Find and install the Multi Monitos Add-on extension.
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1I'm slightly disappointed to find that this still doesnt allow for independent desktop state on each monitor. Oct 30, 2020 at 18:51
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1at least multi desktop is usable in ubuntu but it's clearly lacking a few touches Oct 30, 2020 at 20:39