<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its"
      xmlns:if="http://projectmallard.org/if/1.0/"
      type="topic" style="ui" version="1.0 if/1.0"
      id="shell-workspaces">

  <info>
    <link type="guide" xref="shell-windows#working-with-workspaces" group="#first"/>

    <revision pkgversion="3.8.0" date="2013-04-23" status="review"/>
    <revision pkgversion="3.10.3" date="2014-01-26" status="review"/>
    <revision pkgversion="3.13.92" date="2014-09-22" status="candidate"/>
    <revision pkgversion="3.35.91" date="2020-02-27" status="candidate"/>

    <credit type="author">
      <name>GNOME Documentation Project</name>
      <email>[email protected]</email>
    </credit>
    <credit type="editor">
      <name>Andre Klapper</name>
      <email>[email protected]</email>
    </credit>

    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>

    <desc>Workspaces are a way of grouping windows on your desktop.</desc>
  </info>

<title>What is a workspace, and how will it help me?</title>

  <p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">Workspaces refer to the grouping of
  windows on your desktop. You can create multiple workspaces, which act like
  virtual desktops. Workspaces are meant to reduce clutter and make the desktop
  easier to navigate.</p>

  <p if:test="platform:gnome-classic">Workspaces refer to the grouping of
  windows on your desktop. You can use multiple workspaces, which act like
  virtual desktops. Workspaces are meant to reduce clutter and make the desktop
  easier to navigate.</p>

  <p>Workspaces can be used to organize your work. For example, you could have
  all your communication windows, such as e-mail and your chat program, on one
  workspace, and the work you are doing on a different workspace. Your music
  manager could be on a third workspace.</p>

<p>Using workspaces:</p>

<list>
  <item>
    <p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">In the
    <gui xref="shell-introduction#activities">Activities</gui> overview, you can
    horizontally navigate between the workspaces.</p>
    <p if:test="platform:gnome-classic">Click the button at the bottom left of
    the screen in the window list, or press the
    <key xref="keyboard-key-super">Super</key> key to open the
    <gui>Activities</gui> overview.</p>
  </item>
  <item>
    <p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">If more than one workspace is already
    in use, the <em>workspace selector</em> is shown between the search field and
    the window list. It will display currently used workspaces plus an empty workspace.</p>
    <p if:test="platform:gnome-classic">In the bottom right corner, you see four
    boxes. This is the workspace selector.</p>
  </item>
  <item>
    <p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">To add a workspace, drag and drop a
    window from an existing workspace onto the empty workspace in the workspace
    selector. This workspace now contains the window you have dropped, and a new
    empty workspace will appear next to it.</p>
    <p if:test="platform:gnome-classic">Drag and drop a window from your current
    workspace onto an empty workspace in the workspace selector. This workspace
    now contains the window you have dropped.</p>
  </item>
  <item if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">
    <p>To remove a workspace, simply close all of its windows or move them to
    other workspaces.</p>
  </item>
</list>

<p if:test="!platform:gnome-classic">There is always at least one workspace.</p>

    <media its:translate="yes" type="image" src="figures/shell-workspaces.png"
           width="940" height="291">
        <p>Workspace selector</p>
    </media>

</page>