How do I disable stacking?

[rscircus]

Because it annoys the heck out of me.

EDIT: Current workaround is described in this msg further blow

[jmbuhr]

Not sure if you mean stacking or tiling. Windows can be toggled to stack with super + S. The tiling mode can be turned on or off in the top right of the top-bar. Look for this symbol:

[rscircus]

Hi Jannik, thanks for the quick follow up.

So, I found the setting: "Toggle stacking mode outside management mode". And have no idea what "outside management mode" means, however, stacked windows don't "explode" or anything when I "Super+S" them...

I'm talking about: Disabling it completely to have the state before it was added. Newly launched apps get stacked automatically for me and it's really really annoying...

[jmbuhr]

I think I know what you mean. Unfortunately there is no one-shortcut combo to take a window out of a stack. Super + S only works on single windows. But you can enter window management mode with Super + Enter. You might want to have a look at the readme again: https://github.com/pop-os/shell#shared-features

[jmbuhr]

And if you don't want stacked windows, simply don't use this feature.

[rscircus]

Hm, I think this answered my question.

• Disabling per se is not possible (afais).
• If anyone else runs into this:
  • pop will add a newly started app always to a stacked window when any window in the stack has focus
  • pop will tile it - when no stacked window has focus <--_ that's probably what you want_
  • if you want to tile an app you start, you need to select a not stacked window of another app before Super-/ or Super
  • or you will have to move it out of the stack manually, that is:
    • Super-select it with the mouse and mouse-key pressed, shift it away
    • Super-Enter and hjkl it out of the stack.

[pszponder]

I am having the same experience as rscircus. I would love the option to have the window stacking disabled globally as the work around are a little tedious.

[Biont]

You can point at me and laugh if you want, but I am using this on a Surface Go tablet since you're constantly fighting for space on such a small screen. Most of the time, I have 1-3 windows open. The rest is either minimized or on another workspace. I enjoy tabs/stacking on my work desktop, but it's overkill on a tablet where I'm not multitasking as much.

Anyway, I was just hit by the inability to ungroup a stack of windows that I created by pure accident when I tried to switch window positions via touch. I will not always have a keyboard available to sort this out with shortcuts, so I tried for a while to move windows out of the stack by dragging them.

I found out that you can indeed get this sorted out with mouse/touch alone. You need to switch to Overview mode and move your windows to another workspace, were they will tile normally. Then you can drag them back do your current workspace once the stack is gone.

Please make this functionality optional!

[esauvisky]

I second this. I did try to patch it for personal use but it seems the stacking features are deeply rooted within Pop Shell. Both the suggestion of "not using the feature" or the workaround above aren't enough, as the auto stacking also occurs by dragging windows on top of each other with the mouse, while in tiling mode. If you're used to repositioning and resizing by holding the window action key (Super) and using the primary and middle mouse buttons, everything works very well except for when you want to swap positions around.

If disabling stacking altogether is indeed nontrivial, I suggest that a setting that doesn't allow a window to get stacked with another while being dragged with the mouse would make a good compromise.

[mmstick]

If someone can develop a patch that makes this a conditional opt-out setting, I wouldn't be opposed to merging it.

[iHnR]

Has there been a fix for this already? I don't experience the same issue as @rscircus but I just regularly end up stacking windows by accident when dragging them around. I would suggest setting the behaviour such that windows are only stacked when you have manually put a window in stacking mode, rather than automatically inferring from mouse movement.

Patching myself is probably not a task i'm up to, but it seems like a fun challenge :P

[AhmedHalim96]

I am also having the same experience as rscircus. Coming from a tiling window manger, this stacking is just a weird behavior to me. I always end up stacking windows by accident while dragging them around. So I'd love the option to turn it off or to be for the windows are put in stacking mode manually like iHnR said.

[rscircus]

If someone can develop a patch that makes this a conditional opt-out setting, I wouldn't be opposed to merging it.

OK, I'll have a look at how to do this.

[jacobgkau]

Does the option added by https://github.com/pop-os/shell/pull/1579 address this concern?

[Kellett]

#1579 is a fix for me. It was only ever when using the mouse I accidentally stacked things.

[kule]

Sorry for the spam, but for the next person who isn't used to Gnome and wonders how to change the setting added in #1579:

• Go to: https://extensions.gnome.org/
• Click: "Installed Extensions"
• Click the settings icon next to the Pop Shell extension and you'll then get the settings panel with the "Allow stacking with mouse" option.