Auto-Hide Dock in Ubuntu Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide
- 5 steps
- Needs administrator rights
Auto-hide dock in Ubuntu Linux slides your desktop panel out of view when an application window gets close to it, giving you extra screen space. The feature is available on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and later. It keeps your workspace clean and stops you from accidentally clicking app icons.
To auto-hide the Dock in Ubuntu, open Settings, go to Appearance, and turn on the Auto-hide the Dock switch in the Dock section. On Ubuntu 24.04 and later, find that switch under the Ubuntu Desktop panel instead. The Dock then slides out of view when a window overlaps it, and returns when you move the pointer to the left edge of the screen.
How to auto-hide the Dock in Ubuntu Linux
To auto-hide the Dock in Ubuntu and clear up your screen space, open the Settings app, go to the Appearance panel, and turn on the Auto-hide the Dock switch. The left-hand application launcher then slides out of view whenever an open window covers it. It comes back when you move your mouse to the left edge of the screen.
The change applies immediately. You don’t need to log out or restart, and you can undo it at any time by flipping the same switch back.
First, open the System Settings panel, where Ubuntu keeps its desktop preferences. There are two ways to get there. The first is the Activities overview.
- Press the Super key (the Win on most keyboards), or click Activities in the top-left corner.
- Type Settings in the search box and click the Settings icon in the results.
The Settings window should open, with a list of categories down the left side.
The second way is through the top bar. Click the System menu at the top-right corner of the screen. It is the small area that holds the network, volume and battery icons.
A panel drops down with quick toggles and a row of buttons at the bottom.
On the System menu, select Settings, as highlighted below. The Settings window opens, the same as with the first method.
Click the Appearance tile in the Settings sidebar. The panel on the right shows your theme and colour options. The Dock options are further down that panel on Ubuntu 22.04.
In the Settings Appearance panel, scroll to the Dock section. Then do the following:
- Find the Auto-hide the Dock switch.
- Click the switch to set it to On. The Dock now hides itself whenever a window overlaps it.
- To turn the feature off again, click the same switch to set it to Off. The Dock stays on screen all the time.
To check that it works, open an application and drag its window over the left edge of the screen. The Dock should slide away. Move the pointer to the left edge and it slides back in. Pressing the Super key also brings it up through the Activities overview.
If the Dock doesn’t hide, make sure a window really overlaps it. With nothing in the way, the Dock stays visible even when the switch is on. The same Dock section also lets you change the icon size, the screen position, and which monitor shows the Dock, which is useful if you use more than one display.
That should do it! The setting is saved to your account, so it stays the same after a reboot.
Hiding the dock automatically helps you make the most of your screen space, especially on a laptop or a small display. Here is a quick recap:
- Configuring the Dock to hide when a window overlaps with it automatically can improve screen space utilization in Ubuntu Linux.
- The step-by-step guide provided easy-to-follow instructions for toggling the “Auto-hide the Dock” setting in the System Settings panel. On Ubuntu 24.04 and later, look under Ubuntu Desktop if you don’t see it in Appearance.
- Users can now effortlessly manage the visibility of the Dock based on their preferences, and switch it back at any time.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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