Where to find the window button setting in Ubuntu

Ubuntu's top bar shows three window control buttons — minimize, maximize, and close — on the right side by default. You can turn off the display of these buttons through the GNOME Settings application. The setting is called Window Controls, and it lives in the Appearance section where you control how your desktop looks.

The buttons themselves still work when hidden; they just move to the window's title bar instead. This means you can still close, minimize, or maximize any open window — you just interact with them in a different location on your screen. The functionality remains unchanged; only the visual location shifts.

Key Takeaways

  • Window control buttons appear in Ubuntu's top bar by default but can be hidden through GNOME Settings under Appearance.
  • Hiding the buttons moves them to each individual window's title bar, so you retain full window control without losing any functionality.
  • The change takes effect immediately without requiring a system restart or logout.
  • You can toggle this setting on or off at any time, and keyboard shortcuts like Alt+F4 continue to work regardless of button visibility.
  • This setting applies system-wide to all open windows at once.

Opening GNOME Settings and navigating to Appearance

Click the system menu in the top-right corner of your screen — it shows your network, battery, and time. From there, select Settings. The Settings window will open to a list of categories on the left side of the window.

Look for Appearance in that left-side menu and click it. You should see options for style (Light or Dark), accent color, and other visual preferences. The Window Controls toggle appears in this same section, usually toward the middle or lower part of the Appearance page.

If you have trouble locating Settings, you can also press the Super key (Windows key) on your keyboard, type "Settings", and press Enter to launch the application directly.

Toggling the Window Controls setting

In the Appearance section, scroll down until you see the Window Controls option. It will show as a toggle switch, either turned on (blue) or off (gray). Click the toggle to switch its state.

If the toggle is currently on, clicking it will hide the window buttons from the top bar. If it is off, clicking it will show them. The change takes effect immediately — you do not need to log out or restart your system. You can watch the buttons disappear or reappear in the top bar as soon as you click.

Where the buttons move when hidden from the top bar

When you disable the Window Controls toggle, the minimize, maximize, and close buttons disappear from Ubuntu's top bar. Instead, they appear on the title bar of each individual window — the bar at the very top of each open application where the window name is displayed.

This layout is common in many Linux desktop environments and can save screen space in the top bar. Some users prefer this arrangement because the window controls stay visually attached to the window they control, rather than floating in a separate system area. The buttons will appear on the right side of each window's title bar in the same order: minimize, maximize, close.

Keyboard shortcuts as an alternative to window buttons

Whether or not the buttons are visible, you can control windows using keyboard shortcuts. Alt+F4 closes the active window, Super+H minimizes it, and Super+Up maximizes it (where Super is the Windows key on most keyboards). These shortcuts work regardless of whether the buttons are displayed in the top bar or the window title bar.

Learning these shortcuts means you can manage windows without ever clicking a button. Many Ubuntu users rely on keyboard control entirely, especially those who work with multiple windows at once or prefer keeping their hands on the keyboard. You can also right-click on a window's title bar to access a context menu with window control options.

Reverting the change if you want buttons back

If you hide the window buttons and later decide you prefer them in the top bar, the process is identical. Open Settings, go to Appearance, find Window Controls, and toggle it back on. Your top bar will show the buttons again immediately.

There is no penalty for switching back and forth. The setting is purely visual and does not affect how your system runs, how windows behave, or any of your files or data. You can experiment with both layouts to see which one you prefer for your workflow.

Troubleshooting if the setting does not appear

The Window Controls option is standard in GNOME 40 and later versions of Ubuntu, which includes Ubuntu 21.04 and newer releases. If you cannot find the setting in Appearance, check your Ubuntu version by opening Settings and scrolling to the bottom to see "About".

Older versions of Ubuntu may have this setting in a different location or may not have it available through the graphical Settings interface. If you are running an older version and want to hide the buttons, you can use the dconf-editor tool or modify GNOME configuration files directly, though this requires more technical knowledge and command-line experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose the ability to close windows if I hide the buttons?

No. The buttons move to each window's title bar, and keyboard shortcuts like Alt+F4 still work. You retain full control over every window; only the location of the visual buttons changes. Right-clicking the title bar also gives you a menu with window control options.

Will this setting affect all my open windows?

Yes. The Window Controls toggle is a system-wide setting. When you change it, all windows immediately show or hide their buttons in the top bar, depending on the new setting. New windows you open after the change will also follow the new setting.

Can I hide only some of the buttons, like just the minimize button?

The Window Controls toggle through Settings is all-or-nothing. To customize individual buttons, you would need to use dconf-editor or modify GNOME configuration files directly, which requires command-line knowledge and editing configuration text.

What if I accidentally hide the buttons and cannot find Settings again?

Press the Super key (Windows key) on your keyboard, type "Settings", and press Enter. This opens Settings directly without needing to click the system menu. From there, navigate back to Appearance and toggle Window Controls back on.