If you want Ubuntu to behave more like a conventional desktop, choose GNOME Classic. It adds persistent Applications and Places menus to the top bar and a window list along the bottom, while keeping the Activities overview available. Ubuntu’s own documentation identifies GNOME Classic as the option for people who prefer a traditional desktop layout.
If you only want quicker access to the programs you use most, keep the standard Ubuntu session and pin those programs to the dash. That is a smaller change and does not require logging out.
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Choose between a traditional session and a lighter adjustment
There are two sensible ways to make Ubuntu’s GNOME desktop feel more familiar. The first changes the entire shell layout by starting a GNOME Classic session. The second leaves Ubuntu’s customized GNOME session in place and adjusts the application launcher so your daily programs are always available.
| What you want | Best choice | What changes | What you must do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menus and a visible list of open windows | GNOME Classic | Top-bar Applications and Places menus, plus a bottom window list | Install the extensions package if needed, log out, and select the Classic session at sign-in |
| Faster access to a few frequently used programs | Pin applications to the dash | Your current Ubuntu session remains unchanged; selected icons stay in the launcher | Pin or remove favorites from the application icon’s context menu |
| Ubuntu’s existing left-side launcher and desktop behavior | Keep the standard Ubuntu session | Ubuntu Dock, Desktop Icons NG, Yaru, Ubuntu font, and title-bar controls remain available | No session switch; make only the launcher changes you need |
The first option is the closer match for someone coming from a desktop with a permanent menu bar and task list. The second is better if the main frustration is finding applications rather than managing windows.
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What Ubuntu already provides
Ubuntu Desktop does not ship with an unmodified GNOME interface. Its default environment includes several Ubuntu-specific choices documented in the About GNOME on Ubuntu guide.
- Ubuntu Dock: a launcher running down the left side of the screen.
- Desktop Icons NG: support for displaying and working with icons on the desktop.
- Yaru: Ubuntu’s default visual theme.
- Ubuntu: the default interface font.
- Title-bar buttons: minimize and maximize controls are enabled on windows.
These defaults already provide some conventions associated with traditional desktops. You can therefore try the low-impact route first: keep the current session, pin your everyday applications, and decide later whether a complete layout change is worthwhile.
What GNOME Classic changes
GNOME Classic is a separate session designed for users who prefer a more traditional desktop experience. According to Ubuntu’s GNOME Classic documentation, its most visible differences are the two menus in the top bar and the window list at the bottom.
Applications and Places menus
The Applications menu gives you a persistent, menu-based way to browse installed programs. The Places menu provides direct access to common locations, so you do not have to open the Activities overview merely to reach a folder or mounted location.
A bottom window list
The panel along the bottom shows open windows. Use it to move between applications, minimize a window, or restore one that is hidden. This is the behavior many users expect from a taskbar-style desktop.
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Activities remains available
Classic does not remove GNOME’s overview. The Ubuntu guide says the Activities overview can be opened with a button at the left of the window list or by pressing the Super key. You can therefore use the traditional menus for routine work and the overview when you need search, workspaces, or a broad view of running applications.
Install the package that provides GNOME Classic
Ubuntu’s guide says the gnome-shell-extensions package is needed to make GNOME Classic available. Save your work before changing packages or sessions.
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- Open Terminal from the application menu.
- Run
sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions. - Enter your account password when prompted. The password is not shown on screen while you type.
- Allow the package manager to finish. If it reports that the package is already the newest version, the required files are present.
If your organization manages the computer, use its approved software-management process instead of installing packages yourself. The package name is the important detail; the exact graphical package-management screen can vary by Ubuntu release.
Check before logging out
- Finish or save unsaved work in every application.
- Close installers and package-management windows.
- Make sure you know your account password, because you will need it at the sign-in screen.
- If you are connected through a remote session, confirm that it supports changing the desktop session; some remote tools reconnect to a fixed session.
Switch from Ubuntu to GNOME Classic
GNOME sessions are selected at the login screen, not from inside the running desktop. The following sequence follows Ubuntu’s documented flow.
- Save your work and choose Log Out from the system menu.
- At the login screen, select your user account. Do not enter the password yet if the session control is hidden until an account is selected.
- Open the session or options control. Depending on the installed Ubuntu release and display manager, this may appear as a gear icon or another button near the sign-in controls.
- Select GNOME Classic.
- Enter your password and sign in.
After login, look for the Applications and Places menus at the top and the window list along the bottom. Open a few programs, minimize one, and restore it from the list to confirm that the session is the one you intended to use.
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Use the Classic layout day to day
Launch programs from Applications
Open Applications and browse its categories when you want a menu-driven list of installed software. This is useful when you remember what a program does but not its exact name, or when you prefer a fixed menu to an icon grid.
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Use Places for common folders and locations. It provides a predictable starting point for opening files without first navigating through the overview.
Manage windows from the bottom list
Click a window entry to bring it forward. Selecting the entry for an active window can minimize it, and selecting it again restores it. This gives you a persistent target for switching windows instead of relying on an overview gesture or keyboard shortcut.
Keep using the overview when it is faster
Press Super whenever you need GNOME search, workspace navigation, or a visual view of all open windows. Classic is an alternate shell arrangement, not a restriction that prevents normal GNOME overview features.
Return to the standard Ubuntu GNOME session
You can switch back without uninstalling the package.
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- Save your work and log out.
- Select your user account at the login screen.
- Open the same session or options control used earlier.
- Choose GNOME, rather than GNOME Classic.
- Sign in.
Your Ubuntu Dock, Ubuntu theme, desktop icons, and other standard-session behavior should return with that session. The package can remain installed so GNOME Classic is available the next time you need it.
Make a smaller change by pinning favorite applications
If menus and a task list are not essential, pinning applications is the least disruptive approach. Ubuntu’s Your desktop documentation describes adding and removing favorite application icons from the dash.
Pin an application
- Open the application from the existing Ubuntu launcher or the applications view.
- Find its icon in the dash.
- Right-click the icon.
- Choose Add to Favorites (the wording may be shown as a favorite or pin action in some releases).
The icon remains in the dash after the program closes, giving you a fixed launch point. Arrange your most-used programs near the top of the launcher so they are easy to reach with the pointer or keyboard.
Remove an application from favorites
- Right-click the icon in the dash.
- Choose Remove from Favorites.
Removing a favorite does not uninstall the program. It only removes the persistent launcher icon; you can still start the application from the applications view.
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When pinning is enough
- You want a stable list of frequently used applications but are comfortable with GNOME’s overview.
- You do not want to interrupt work by logging out.
- You prefer to keep Ubuntu’s left-side dock and current visual theme.
- You are using a managed or remote computer where changing sessions may be restricted.
Decide which approach fits your workflow
Choose GNOME Classic when menus matter
Classic is the stronger fit if you routinely look for an Applications menu, open folders from a Places menu, or switch among windows through a visible bottom list. Those elements are persistent parts of the Classic session rather than optional actions you have to remember each time.
Choose the standard session when continuity matters
Stay with Ubuntu’s normal GNOME session if you rely on the existing left-side Ubuntu Dock, desktop icons, or current theme and only need quicker access to a few programs. Pinning changes the launcher while leaving the rest of your environment intact.
Use both sessions for different situations
The package and session selector allow you to keep both choices available. For example, you might use GNOME Classic on a workstation where window-list navigation is central to your routine and the standard GNOME session on a laptop where the current dock and overview are more convenient. Each switch requires logging out, so treat sessions as complete working environments rather than a setting to toggle repeatedly during a single task.
Troubleshoot a missing or unexpected session
GNOME Classic is not listed
- Log back into the standard session and confirm that
gnome-shell-extensionsis installed. - Run your package manager’s update process, then verify the package installation completed without errors.
- Log out again instead of merely locking the screen; the session choices appear during a full sign-out.
- Select your user account before looking for the session or options control.
- If the option is still absent, consult the Ubuntu Desktop Guide for the release installed on your computer. Ubuntu’s published guide is identified as the Ubuntu 26.04 guide, but the package name, login-screen labels, or availability can differ in another release.
The login screen shows a different label
Session names and the location of the selector can vary with the installed Ubuntu release and display manager. Look for a gear, session, or options control near the account and password fields. Do not assume that a different label means the feature is missing; verify the selected session after login by checking for the Applications and Places menus and the bottom window list.
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The desktop looks unchanged after selection
- Confirm that you selected GNOME Classic before entering the password; the selector may reset if you click away from the account.
- Log out and repeat the selection rather than restarting only the shell.
- Check whether an automatic-login or remote-desktop configuration forces a particular session.
- Use the standard GNOME session temporarily and consult documentation matching your exact Ubuntu release if Classic still does not appear.
You cannot find a pinned icon
Start the application once, then look for its running icon in the dash and open its context menu. If it is already a favorite, the menu will offer the removal action rather than the add action. Removing and re-adding the favorite can refresh its position without uninstalling anything.
Release and compatibility caveat
The official search result for this topic points to Ubuntu’s 26.04 Desktop Guide. It does not provide a release-by-release compatibility matrix for GNOME Classic, and the login selector or package behavior can change between Ubuntu versions. Use the guide that matches the release shown in Settings or by your organization’s system information tool. If a menu, icon, or package prompt differs, follow that version’s documentation rather than forcing instructions from another release.
The durable parts of the process are the same: install the package Ubuntu specifies for Classic, log out completely, select the Classic session at sign-in, and choose GNOME in the same selector when you want to return.
A practical migration plan
- Start with the least disruptive test: pin your three or four most-used applications in the standard Ubuntu session.
- Evaluate your real need: if you still miss persistent menus or a visible task list, install
gnome-shell-extensions. - Try Classic at a convenient stopping point: save work, log out, and select GNOME Classic at the next sign-in.
- Test normal tasks: launch a program from Applications, open a folder from Places, minimize and restore a window from the bottom list, and press
Superto confirm the overview remains available. - Keep or revert deliberately: stay with Classic if its persistent controls reduce friction; otherwise log out and select GNOME to return to Ubuntu’s standard environment.
This approach lets you solve the specific problem you have—navigation, window switching, or application access—without changing more of the desktop than necessary.
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