I’ve been trying to clean up my desktop in Ubuntu 24.04 and I’m running into a bit of a snag. I love the aesthetic look of a clean desktop, but it seems like no matter what I do, those pesky icons just won’t disappear! I’ve read some tutorials online, but they either seem too complicated or don’t quite apply to my setup.
For context, I’m using the default GNOME interface, and while I’m pretty comfortable navigating my way around the terminal for basic commands, I’d rather not dive into anything that could potentially mess up my system. I just want to be able to work with a sleek, uncluttered desktop where I can focus on what I’m doing without all these distractions.
I tried right-clicking on the desktop and looking for options to hide icons, but the choices available seem pretty limited. I don’t want to delete everything either, just temporarily get rid of them so I can have a cleaner workspace. I’ve also messed around with some GNOME extensions, but I could never figure out if they were supposed to help with this or something totally different.
If there’s a way to keep the icons hidden even after restarting, that would be awesome. Or if I could somehow move them to a different workspace or a folder and still easily access them when I need them, that would be ideal.
Has anyone else faced this issue and found a solution? I’d love to hear how you guys have managed to make your desktop look spiffy. Any tips or tricks would be super helpful. Bonus points if you can explain it simply—like, “This is how you do it step by step” since I can get a bit lost in tech jargon. Thanks in advance for your help!
Clean Up Your Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop!
Getting a clean desktop in Ubuntu with GNOME can be tricky, but I’ve got some simple tips to help you out!
Option 1: Hiding Icons
To hide your desktop icons without deleting them:
Option 2: Use a Folder
If you want to keep your icons but get them out of sight:
Option 3: Workspaces
Another option is using workspaces:
sudo apt install gnome-tweaks).Option 4: Terminal Command
If you’re okay with the terminal, you can also try:
This command makes the icons disappear, and it should stay that way even after restarting!
Keeping Things Clean
Remember, cleaning up your desktop can help you focus better. Try to keep it as uncluttered as possible for your workflow!
Hope these tips help you out! Enjoy your spiffy desktop!
To achieve a cleaner desktop in Ubuntu 24.04 with the GNOME interface, you have a few options that can help you temporarily hide your icons without deleting them. One effective method is to use the built-in settings in GNOME. Right-click on the desktop space, then navigate to “Desktop Settings” or “Desktop Preferences.” Here, you should see options related to displaying icons. Look for an option like “Show Desktop Icons” or “Icon Visibility” and toggle it off. This will hide the icons on your desktop, providing you with the sleek aesthetic you’re looking for. Alternatively, if you want to keep your icons tucked away, consider creating a dedicated folder on your desktop, moving all existing icons into it. You can easily access them by opening the folder whenever you need to retrieve a specific file or shortcut.
If you prefer using GNOME extensions for more customization, you can try installing the “Desktop Icons NG (DING)” extension from the GNOME Extensions website. This extension offers additional control over how your icons appear on the desktop. Once installed, you can easily manage what is displayed and what isn’t. To ensure your changes persist even after a restart, confirm that the extension is enabled and configured to your preferences. Remember to check the extension settings, which allow you to choose what types of icons (like files or folders) to show or hide. Following these steps should help you craft a distraction-free workspace while giving you flexible access to your essential files whenever needed.