Current File : //usr/share/help/C/gnome-help/shell-introduction.page
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xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its"
type="topic" style="ui" version="1.0 if/1.0"
id="shell-introduction">
<info>
<link type="guide" xref="shell-overview" group="#first"/>
<link type="guide" xref="index" group="intro"/>
<revision version="gnome:44" date="2023-12-29" status="review"/>
<credit type="author">
<name>Shaun McCance</name>
<email>shaunm@gnome.org</email>
</credit>
<credit type="editor">
<name>Michael Hill</name>
<email>mdhillca@gmail.com</email>
</credit>
<credit type="editor">
<name>Ekaterina Gerasimova</name>
<email>kittykat3756@gmail.com</email>
</credit>
<credit type="editor">
<name>Andre Klapper</name>
<email>ak-47@gmx.net</email>
</credit>
<include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
<desc>A visual overview of your desktop, the top bar, and the
<gui>Activities</gui> overview.</desc>
</info>
<title>Visual overview of GNOME</title>
<p>GNOME features a user interface designed to stay out of your way, minimize
distractions, and help you get things done. When you first log in, you will
see the <gui>Activities</gui> overview and the top bar.</p>
<if:choose>
<if:when test="!platform:gnome-classic">
<media type="image" src="figures/shell-top-bar.png" width="600" if:test="!target:mobile">
<p>GNOME Shell top bar</p>
</media>
</if:when>
<if:when test="platform:gnome-classic">
<media type="image" src="figures/shell-top-bar-classic.png" width="500" if:test="!target:mobile">
<p>GNOME Shell top bar</p>
</media>
</if:when>
</if:choose>
<p>The top bar provides access to your windows and applications, your
calendar and appointments, and
<link xref="status-icons">system properties</link> like sound, networking,
and power. In the system menu in the top bar, you can change the volume or
screen brightness, edit your <gui>Wi-Fi</gui> connection details, check your
battery status, log out or switch users, and turn off your computer.</p>
<links type="section"/>
<!-- TODO: Replace "Activities overview" title for classic mode with something
like "Application windows" by using if:when and if:else ? -->
<section id="activities">
<title><gui>Activities</gui> overview</title>
<p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">When you start GNOME, you automatically
enter the <gui>Activities</gui> overview. The overview allows you to access
your windows and applications. In the overview, you can also just start
typing to search your applications, files, folders, and the web.</p>
<p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">To access the overview at any time,
click the Activities button in the top-left corner, or just move your mouse
pointer to the top-left hot corner. You can also press the
<key xref="keyboard-key-super">Super</key> key on your keyboard.</p>
<p if:test="platform:gnome-classic">To access your windows and applications,
click the button at the bottom left of the screen in the window list. You can
also press the <key xref="keyboard-key-super">Super</key> key to see an
overview with live thumbnails of all the windows on the current workspace.</p>
<media type="image" its:translate="no" src="figures/shell-activities-dash.png" height="65" style="floatend floatright" if:test="!target:mobile, !platform:gnome-classic">
<p>Activities button and Dash</p>
</media>
<p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">At the bottom of the overview, you will
find the <em>dash</em>. The dash shows you your favorite and running
applications. Click any icon in the dash to open that application; if the
application is already running, it will have a small dot below its icon.
Clicking its icon will bring up the most recently used window. You can also
drag the icon onto a workspace.</p>
<p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">Right-clicking the icon displays a menu
that allows you to pick any window in a running application, or to open a new
window. You can also click the icon while holding down <key>Ctrl</key> to open
a new window.</p>
<p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">When you enter the overview, you will
initially be in the windows overview. This shows you live thumbnails of all
the windows on the current workspace.</p>
<p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">Click the grid button (which has nine
dots) in the dash to display the applications overview. This shows you all the
applications installed on your computer. Click any application to run it, or
drag an application to the onto a workspace shown above the installed
applications. You can also drag an application onto the dash to make it a
favorite. Your favorite applications stay in the dash even when they’re not
running, so you can access them quickly.</p>
<list style="compact">
<item>
<p><link xref="shell-apps-open">Learn more about starting
applications.</link></p>
</item>
<item>
<p><link xref="shell-windows">Learn more about windows and
workspaces.</link></p>
</item>
</list>
</section>
<section id="clock">
<title>Clock, calendar & appointments</title>
<if:choose>
<if:when test="!platform:gnome-classic">
<media type="image" src="figures/shell-appts.png" width="250" style="floatend floatright" if:test="!target:mobile">
<p>Clock, calendar, appointments and notifications</p>
</media>
</if:when>
<if:when test="platform:gnome-classic">
<media type="image" src="figures/shell-appts-classic.png" width="250" style="floatend floatright" if:test="!target:mobile">
<p>Clock, calendar, and appointments</p>
</media>
</if:when>
</if:choose>
<p>Click the clock on the top bar to see the current date, a month-by-month
calendar, a list of your upcoming appointments and new notifications. You can
also open the calendar by pressing
<keyseq><key>Super</key><key>V</key></keyseq>. You can access the date and
time settings and open your full calendar application directly from
the menu.</p>
<list style="compact">
<item>
<p><link xref="clock-calendar">Learn more about the calendar and
appointments.</link></p>
</item>
<item>
<p><link xref="shell-notifications">Learn more about notifications and
the notification list.</link></p>
</item>
</list>
</section>
<section id="systemmenu">
<title>System menu</title>
<if:choose>
<if:when test="!platform:gnome-classic">
<media type="image" src="figures/shell-exit.png" width="250" style="floatend floatright" if:test="!target:mobile">
<p>User menu</p>
</media>
</if:when>
<if:when test="platform:gnome-classic">
<media type="image" src="figures/shell-exit-classic.png" width="250" style="floatend floatright" if:test="!target:mobile">
<p>User menu</p>
</media>
</if:when>
</if:choose>
<p>Click the system menu in the top-right corner to manage your system
settings and your computer. The top part of the menu shows the battery
status indicator, and buttons to launch Settings and the screenshot tool. The
<media type="image" its:translate="no" src="figures/system-shutdown-symbolic.svg">
power</media> button allows you to suspend or power off the computer, or
quickly give somebody else access to the computer without logging out
completely. Sliders allow you to control the sound volume or screen
brightness.</p>
<p>The rest of the menu consists of Quick Settings buttons which let you
quickly control available services and devices like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, power
settings, and background apps.</p>
<list style="compact">
<item>
<p><link xref="shell-exit">Learn more about switching users, logging out,
and turning off your computer.</link></p>
</item>
<item>
<p><link xref="quick-settings">Learn more about Quick
Settings.</link></p>
</item>
</list>
</section>
<section id="lockscreen">
<title>Lock Screen</title>
<p>When you lock your screen, or it locks automatically, the lock screen is
displayed. In addition to protecting your desktop while you’re away from your
computer, the lock screen displays the date and time. It also shows
information about your battery and network status.</p>
<list style="compact">
<item>
<p><link xref="shell-lockscreen">Learn more about the lock
screen.</link></p>
</item>
</list>
</section>
<section id="window-list">
<title>Window List</title>
<if:choose>
<if:when test="!platform:gnome-classic">
<p>GNOME features a different approach to switching windows than a
permanently visible window list found in other desktop environments. This
lets you focus on the task at hand without distractions.</p>
<list style="compact">
<item>
<p><link xref="shell-windows-switching">Learn more about switching
windows.</link></p>
</item>
</list>
</if:when>
<if:when test="platform:gnome-classic">
<media type="image" src="figures/shell-window-list-classic.png" width="800" if:test="!target:mobile">
<p>Window List</p>
</media>
<p>The window list at the bottom of the screen provides access to all your
open windows and applications and lets you quickly minimize and restore
them.</p>
<p>At the right-hand side of the window list, GNOME displays the four
workspaces. To switch to a different workspace, select the workspace you
want to use.</p>
</if:when>
</if:choose>
</section>
</page>
Mini Shell