What the workspace indicator is and why you might want to disable it

The workspace indicator is the small display in Ubuntu's top panel that shows which virtual workspace you are currently on — usually a number like "1" or "2", or sometimes a grid showing all your workspaces at once. If you have only one workspace or rarely switch between them, this indicator takes up panel space without doing anything useful for you.

Disabling it removes the indicator from the top bar entirely. This is a cosmetic change that does not affect how workspaces function — you can still switch between them using keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow or Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow. The indicator just stops being visible.

The steps to disable it depend on which version of Ubuntu you are running and which desktop environment you use. Most Ubuntu installations use GNOME, but some use other environments like KDE or Cinnamon. This guide covers GNOME, which is the default.

Key Takeaways

  • The workspace indicator is a small display in the top panel showing which workspace you are on, and you can hide it without affecting how workspaces work.
  • GNOME users can disable it through Settings > Appearance > Workspaces, or by turning off the Workspace Indicator extension if it is installed separately.
  • If you use a different desktop environment like KDE or Cinnamon, the steps are different and you may need to access panel settings directly.
  • Disabling the indicator does not prevent you from switching workspaces — keyboard shortcuts and the Activities overview still work normally.

Disable the workspace indicator in GNOME Settings

The simplest method in modern Ubuntu (version 21.04 and later) is through the Settings application. Open Settings by clicking the system menu in the top right corner and selecting the gear icon, or by pressing the Super key and typing "Settings".

Once Settings is open, navigate to Appearance in the left sidebar. Look for a section called Workspaces. You should see a toggle or dropdown that controls whether the workspace indicator appears. If the toggle is on, click it to turn it off. If there is a dropdown menu, select the option that hides the indicator — this is often labeled "Do Not Show" or "Off".

Close Settings and the change takes effect immediately. The workspace indicator should no longer appear in your top panel.

Turn off the Workspace Indicator extension

If you do not see a Workspaces option in Settings > Appearance, the workspace indicator may be running as a separate extension. Open the Activities overview by pressing the Super key, then search for and open Extensions (or GNOME Extensions depending on your version).

Look through the list of installed extensions for one called Workspace Indicator. If you find it, click on it to open its details, then toggle the switch to turn it off. The indicator will disappear from the panel immediately.

If you do not see this extension in your list, it means it is not installed and the indicator is controlled through Settings instead — go back to the previous section and check Settings > Appearance again.

Disable it for KDE Plasma

If you are using KDE Plasma instead of GNOME, right-click on the top panel where the workspace indicator appears. Select Edit Panel from the menu that opens.

The panel will enter edit mode and you should see a small X or remove button next to the workspace indicator widget. Click it to remove the indicator from the panel. Right-click the panel again and select Edit Panel once more to exit edit mode and save your changes.

Disable it for Cinnamon

In Cinnamon (used by Linux Mint and some Ubuntu flavors), right-click on the top panel and select Applets. Look for an applet called Workspace Switcher or Workspace Indicator in the list of installed applets.

Click on it to select it, then click the minus button below the list to remove it from the panel. The workspace indicator will disappear immediately. If you want to add it back later, you can use the plus button to select it from the available applets.

What to do if the indicator does not disappear

If you have followed the steps for your desktop environment and the indicator is still visible, restart your desktop session. Press Alt+F2, type r, and press Enter to restart GNOME Shell (this works in GNOME only). For other environments, log out and log back in.

If the indicator still appears after a restart, check that you toggled the correct setting. In GNOME, go back to Settings > Appearance and verify that the Workspaces option is actually set to off. Some Ubuntu versions have multiple workspace-related settings, and you may need to turn off more than one.

If you installed the Workspace Indicator extension manually from a third-party source, you may need to uninstall it completely rather than just disabling it. Open Extensions, find the Workspace Indicator, and look for an uninstall or remove button.

Re-enable the indicator if you change your mind

To turn the workspace indicator back on, reverse the steps you used to disable it. In GNOME Settings, go to Appearance > Workspaces and toggle the setting back on. In Extensions, find Workspace Indicator and toggle it back on. In KDE or Cinnamon, right-click the panel, enter edit mode, and add the workspace widget back from the available applets.

The indicator will reappear in your top panel immediately, and you can switch back to seeing your workspace number or grid whenever you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disabling the indicator stop me from switching workspaces?

No. You can still switch workspaces using keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow or Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow, or by opening the Activities overview and clicking on a different workspace. The indicator is only a visual display — it does not control the workspaces themselves.

Can I hide the indicator without disabling it completely?

In GNOME, the Settings option controls visibility directly, so you are hiding it rather than disabling it. The workspace switcher still functions in the background. In KDE and Cinnamon, removing it from the panel hides it, but you can add it back anytime by editing the panel again.

What if I only want to hide the indicator in certain workspaces?

The built-in settings do not support hiding the indicator conditionally. If you need that level of control, you would need to write a custom GNOME extension or script, which is beyond what the standard settings allow.

Does disabling the indicator affect my keyboard shortcuts?

No. Keyboard shortcuts for switching workspaces work independently of whether the indicator is visible. Disabling the indicator only removes the visual display from the panel.

Why does my Ubuntu version not have a Workspaces option in Settings?

Older versions of Ubuntu (before 21.04) do not have this setting in the Appearance menu. Instead, check the Extensions application for a Workspace Indicator extension and disable it there, or right-click your panel to access panel settings directly.