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I have just upgraded to Ubuntu 17.10 and found out there is no option to have 2 by 2 workspaces. I was able to configure 4 "static" workspaces using GNOME Tweak Tool, but I would like to have them in 2 rows by 2. Any ideas?

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After you have disabled "dynamic" workspaces using (GNOME) Tweaks and enabled "static" ones (with a fixed number, 4 in this case), install a GNOME extension called Workspace Grid. It

Arranges workspaces in a configurable grid.
Also:

  • implements keybindings for left/right workspace navigation (up/down are already implemented)
  • updates workspaces sidebar with grid configuration (use Remove Workspaces Sidebar if you don't want it).

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From the extension's preferences you will be able to set your preferred layout (e.g. 2x2, 2x3, 3x3 etc.).

You may see its GitHub page for more detailed info.

Officially it doesn't support GNOME v3.26 yet, but it should work fine. Otherwise, you may be able to make it work adding "3.26" to its metadata.json file.

Update from the asker:
It worked out of the box without changing anything. Even my old custom shortcuts worked.

Update 2: Ubuntu 19.04

Currently the extension doesn't work with Gnome 3.32 and it might take a while before (if) it again will, because it's the current maintainer (thanks zakkak) is looking for for volunteers to take over maintainance). Suitable replacement can be Workspace Matrix which has a bit less features, but the main features are present.

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    Thanks. You saved me. It worked out of the box without changing anything. Even my old custom shortcuts worked.
    – Juraj.Lorinc
    Oct 19, 2017 at 18:34
  • The instructions of this plugin say Open gnome-tweak-tool, go to “Shell Extensions”, “Install Extension” and select the .zip file but for me on the "Extensions" Tab of the tool I did not found this option...
    – Enrique Moreno Tent
    Oct 19, 2017 at 22:59
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    @EnriqueMorenoTent You're right, it seems that feature is removed from Tweaks. Please try to install directly from it's homepage. You can also extract the zip at ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions.
    – pomsky
    Oct 19, 2017 at 23:24
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    It didn't work out of the box for me on a fresh ubuntu 18.04. I had to also install gome-tweak-tools and configure 4 static workspaces there so I got the full grid. Workspace Grid does not (yet) support switching from dynamic to static workspaces so you need both extensions.
    – swenzel
    Jul 3, 2018 at 7:26
  • @swenzel That part is already assumed, see the question: "I was able to configure 4 "static" workspaces using GNOME Tweak Tool..." (it was wrongly written as "stacked" instead of "static" due to an edit by another user).
    – pomsky
    Jul 3, 2018 at 10:58
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Update: Ubuntu 22.04

It seems the old reliable "Workspace Grid" is no longer maintained, and (at this time of typing) not working on 22.04.

There is a fairly nice alternative in Workspace Matrix which does this job. One slight drawback is that it doesn't have a workspace indicator for the panel, nor does the dev have any plans to implement one. But there is an "improved workspace indicator" that does this job pretty well.

It's good to be able to have the 2x2 workspace arrangement if that's what one is accustomed to, as I am.

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  • I was already using the Workspace Matrix under 18.04, but when I upgraded to 20.04, it did not upgrade that extension. I had to do that manually and things went back to normal.
    – Alexis Wilke
    May 18, 2023 at 22:48

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