Space Bar For Linux

Workspaces on GNOME can be extremely beneficial, especially when dealing with vast numbers of open windows and apps. Even though the default workspace feature on GNOME is pretty decent, why not make it better, right?

Enter Space Bar, a sleek GNOME Shell extension that replaces the Activities button/label with a heavily i3-inspired workspaces bar.

Before anything else, a bit of context. Space Bar was originally a fork of Workspaces Bar (another great, but not defunct GNOME extension by fthx). Over the years, it grew into something pretty comprehensive that should fit most power users who usually have very workspace-heavy workflows quite perfectly.

Once installed, the extension replaces the Activities label with a small bar that displays numbers (of active workspaces). The numbers appear and disappear according to how many workspaces you create.

The way it works is quite straightforward: press the "+" button to add a new workspace, and switch between them by selecting the number you want (or use the scroll wheel on your mouse with the pointer on top of the applet to switch between them).

Of course, one of the cool things about this extension is the fact that you can rename workspaces. What's even "cooler" is the fact that you're also provided with various customization options.

From the extension's Settings section, you can change the position of the applet (on the top bar), fiddle about with the background, text, and border colors, as well as with other aspects that determine how the inactive workspaces are to behave and look.

What else? The extension features support for multi-monitor setups, as well as both static and dynamic workspaces. Oh, and it works on all the latest GNOME versions (including GNOME 44).

Space Bar is a fantastic addition to the GNOME universe and is sure to come in handy for everyone who's relying on workspaces for their daily work. There's really no negative side when it comes to Space Bar, as it's a stylish, well-designed, and very useful little GNOME Shell extension.

As usual, you can get the extension directly from the EGO website, or (even better) by using the awesome Extension Manager app.