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Say I have two Chrome windows open like this:

enter image description here
enter image description here

It seems that the most recently used window always appears on top. In other words, the "Apply Digital Signatures" was the window I had open last. If I were to switch to the window showing the new tab, then the order in which the windows are displayed in the task bar suddenly changes.

Is there a way to keep them from shuffling around? I'd like to be able to order them however I want, like tabs in a web browser. (I'd also like to put them across different workspaces.)

8
  • Probably not as such possible. these previews indeed are ordered according to access, as in the alt+tab switcher. If there would be a way to change this behavior, it would need to be provided by the Ubuntu Dock gnome shell extension, which is based on Dash to Dock.
    – vanadium
    Apr 5, 2018 at 13:19
  • 11
    Did you find a solution to this? I find the changing order super irritating.
    – Jesbus
    Jun 11, 2018 at 14:06
  • No, I haven't found a solution yet :(
    – wheeeee
    Jun 11, 2018 at 17:35
  • 1
    I'm actually not sure what I meant by that. I have a vague memory that in Ubuntu 16.something, when I switched workspaces, the preview would only show me which windows were open in that workspace. If this isn't true, then feel free to disregard that bit.
    – wheeeee
    Jan 22, 2019 at 5:44
  • 1
    @wheeeee That one can be fixed easily: askubuntu.com/questions/992558/…
    – pomsky
    Jan 22, 2019 at 7:24

2 Answers 2

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The dock in Ubuntu 18.04 is a modified version of the original Dash to Dock gnome shell extension. The order of window previews is hard coded and was recently changed from recently used to when opened in response to this issue.

So no, you can't rearrange the window previews. I don't know when the changed behaviour will be merged into the Ubuntu version, but since it hasn't been included in 18.10, it may take some time, if it will happen at all.

You can, however install the latest version of Dash to Dock by following the instructions on the homepage.

Alternatively, as a user on the github page explained, you can supposedly replace the file /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/[email protected]/windowPreview.js with this version to make the window previews appear in the order the windows were opened.

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  • This does indeed work as advertised; confirmed on Ubuntu 18.04.. thanks! Aug 5, 2019 at 0:01
  • after installing Dash to Dock, do gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action 'previews' to make click action consistent with Ubuntu 18.04 default (click to preview) Nov 26, 2019 at 6:04
  • 1
    I replaced windowPreview.js as suggested and it works for me in 18.04.3. Thanks!
    – jjmontes
    Feb 12, 2020 at 20:58
  • js replacement works for me 20.04.1. Thank you thank you thank you!
    – dhinson919
    Nov 17, 2020 at 18:41
  • 2
    the alternative version of js works for me on 18.04. This problem has troubled me for three years.
    – Devymex
    Feb 1, 2021 at 4:53
3

Yes, currently it's not possible.

But already there is a feature request for Dash to Dock about this trouble. Let's upvote it — https://github.com/micheleg/dash-to-dock/issues/639

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