← Back to Blog

Fixing GNOME Dock Behavior: Removing Empty Space and Centering

March 15, 2026 2022 Linux, Customization

Recently, I encountered an issue where my bottom dock in Ubuntu 24.04 had abnormal behavior: it spanned the full width of the screen, creating large empty spaces on the left and right while the icons were centered. This made it look more like a Windows taskbar than a modern dock.

The Problem

The issue was caused by the Dash to Panel extension, which is designed to be a full-width taskbar. While useful for some, it doesn’t provide the compact “dock” look that many prefer.

The Solution

To fix this, I switched to the Ubuntu Dock (Dash to Dock) and configured it to be centered and compact.

Steps to Fix:

1. Switch Extensions:
   • Disable Dash to Panel.
   • Enable Ubuntu Dock.
2. Configure Settings via Terminal: Run the following commands to make the dock compact and centered at the bottom:

   # Make the dock compact (not full-width)
   gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock extend-height false
      
   # Position it at the bottom
   gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dock-position 'BOTTOM'
      
   # Set icon size
   gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dash-max-icon-size 48
      
   # Set dynamic transparency
   gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock transparency-mode 'DYNAMIC'
   

Restore Script

To ensure these settings are never lost, I created a simple restore script:

#!/bin/bash
gnome-extensions enable ubuntu-dock@ubuntu.com
gnome-extensions disable dash-to-panel@jderose9.github.com
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock extend-height false
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dock-position 'BOTTOM'
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dash-max-icon-size 48
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock transparency-mode 'DYNAMIC'

Now the dock looks exactly as it should—centered, compact, and clean!

Powered by Jekyll and Minimal Light theme.