How to 'turn' Ubuntu into Windows

Thanks to GNOME Shell in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, you can now get a Windows-style taskbar on Ubuntu. Alternatively, you can change the theme to look like Windows if you feel 'bored' with the orange theme of Ubuntu. The article will show you how to set up the interface and functions similar to Windows.

Turn the taskbar like Windows

GNOME Shell supports extensions, can change the desktop layout automatically and add more features. You will have to install custom extensions and tools to get started.

1. 10 most popular Gnome Shell extensions today

First, open a Terminal window by clicking Activities in the left corner of the screen and searching for Terminal , then pressing Enter .

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Copy and paste the following command into Terminal , then press Enter . This will install the GNOME Shell Extensions package, Dash to Panel extension, GNOME Tweaks tool and icon theme for later use.

 apt sudo install gnome-shell-extensions-shell-extension-dash-to-panel gnome-tweaks adwaita-icon-theme-full 

You will be prompted to enter your password and enter " y " to continue.

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You will have to log out and log back in before GNOME Shell finds new extensions installed. To do this, click on the system icon in the right corner of the screen, click on your name and then select Log out and log back in to normal.

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After logging in, launch the ' Tweaks ' application in the Applications menu or start it by searching for " Tweaks " in the menu.

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Click on the " Extensions " list on the left side of the Tweaks window to see the installed extensions and activate the Dash to Panel extension here. If you don't see this extension in the list, you need to log out and then log in again.

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The dock on the left and the bar at the top of the screen will disappear, and you'll see a single Windows-style taskbar at the bottom of the screen.

This taskbar even has a Windows-style live thumbnail when you hover over an application in the title bar and the jumplist-style feature displays application-specific shortcuts when right-clicking on the icon of application. For example, when right-clicking on the Firefox icon, you will see options such as ' Open a New Window ' and ' Open a New Private Window '. Both of these features are integrated into Ubuntu's default control bars, but to preview a window you often have to click on the application's icon on the dock instead of hovering over it.

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To configure the Dash to Panel utility, right-click the "Show Applications " button in the bottom left corner of the screen and click " Dash to Panel Settings ". You will find options to move the taskbar to the top of the screen, adjust the size, control the position of the clock, define which icon appears and many more options.

If you no longer want to use the Dash to Panel utility, open the Tweaks tool, click on the " Extensions " menu and turn it off.

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Select a Windows style theme

The default Ubuntu theme, named ' Ambiance ', orange and gray. But you can change this theme to another color if you want. To change the theme, open the Tweaks app.

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See the options in the Themes section on the Appearance section. By default, Ubuntu uses the Ambiance application theme, DMZ-White cursor theme and Humanity icon theme.

If you want a blue and white theme, try the Adwaita theme. This is the default theme used in GNOME Shell desktops. Select the theme ' Adwaita (default)' in both the Applications and Icons boxes. You will get a brighter green theme instead of orange.

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If you want a darker theme, select ' Adwaita-dark ' in the Applications theme box. You will get a nice dark theme, but one that uses blue accents instead of orange.

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If you're still using the standard Ubuntu desktop wallpaper and want to change it, to do so, right-click the screen, and then select the ' Change Background ' command. Use the options here to select wallpapers as a custom color or image. You can also change the Ubuntu lock screen wallpaper here.

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Finally, you'll notice that the control bar is still using orange and gray. For example, you will see these when clicking on the clock icon or system status in the bottom right corner of the screen.

To change the theme of this control bar, you will first need to turn on the User Themes extension from the Extensions section of the Tweaks application. Just click "Extensions" and move the " User Themes " button to the " On " position.

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You will need to download a brighter GNOME Shell theme to install, can try the Nextik-Theme theme and it works quite well. Download the Nextik-Theme.zip file to your computer to get started. Then launch the Tweaks application again, click the ( None ) button to the right of the " Shell " section in the Themes section. If you don't see this button after installing extension User Themes , you need to close and reopen the Tweaks application.

Browse to file Nextik-Theme.zip downloaded to install it. Then, click on the box to the right of the ( None ) button, select 'Nextik-Theme' in the list.

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The control bar and pop-up windows will now be light gray and blue, better suited to the rest of the desktop.

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Turn on the Windows-style application menu

If you don't like the full screen app launcher, you can switch to the pop-up menu like the startup menu. To do this, go to Tweaks> Extensions and open the ' Applications Menu ' extension to ' On '.

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You should see the Applications menu pop up whenever you click on the ' Applications ' option on the taskbar. It organizes applications into different categories so you can launch them more easily.

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This is a demonstration of the power of GNOME Shell extensions and themes. You can use GNOME Shell Extensions, Gnome Tweaks application and themes to customize the screen in many different ways.

See more:

1. Instructions for uninstalling software on Ubuntu
2. 6 ways to speed up the Ubuntu system
3. Instructions for configuring firewalls on Ubuntu