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Ashen Chathuranga
Ashen Chathuranga

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How to Open New Terminal Windows in Separate Workspaces on GNOME (Arch Linux)

#arch #gnome #windows

If you’re using GNOME on Arch Linux and find that opening a new terminal window switches you to the workspace with an existing terminal, you’re not alone. This behavior stems from GNOME’s default handling of application instances, where it tries to focus on an existing instance instead of opening a new one in your current workspace. Fortunately, there’s a simple fix using the preinstalled “Launch new instance” GNOME Shell extension. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how to enable this extension to ensure new terminal windows open in separate workspaces without switching focus.

The Problem

When you open a terminal (e.g., GNOME Terminal) in one workspace and try to open another in a different workspace, GNOME often switches you back to the workspace with the existing terminal. This can disrupt your workflow, especially if you rely on multiple terminals across workspaces for tasks like coding, system monitoring, or managing different projects.

The Solution: Enable the “Launch new instance” Extension

GNOME includes a preinstalled extension called “Launch new instance” (launch-new-instance@gnome-shell-extensions.gcampax.github.com) that forces applications to open new windows instead of focusing on existing ones. While this extension is included in the gnome-shell-extensions package on Arch Linux, it’s not enabled by default in the standard GNOME session (unless you’re using GNOME Classic). Enabling it is quick and straightforward using a few terminal commands.

Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s how I resolved the issue on my Arch Linux system running GNOME:

1. Verify the Extension is Installed

First, check if the gnome-shell-extensions package is installed, as it contains the “Launch new instance” extension.

pacman -Qs gnome-shell-extensions
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This command checks if the package is installed. If you see output like extra/gnome-shell-extensions 48.1-1 (version may vary), you’re good to go. If not, install it with:

sudo pacman -S gnome-shell-extensions
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2. List Available Extensions

To confirm that the “Launch new instance” extension is available, list all installed GNOME Shell extensions:

gnome-extensions list
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Look for launch-new-instance@gnome-shell-extensions.gcampax.github.com in the output. This is the UUID of the extension we need to enable.

3. Enable the Extension

Enable the “Launch new instance” extension with the following command:

gnome-extensions enable launch-new-instance@gnome-shell-extensions.gcampax.github.com
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This activates the extension, modifying GNOME’s behavior so that clicking an application icon (or launching via the overview) opens a new instance instead of switching to an existing one.

4. Verify the Extension is Active

To ensure the extension is enabled, check its status:

gnome-extensions info launch-new-instance@gnome-shell-extensions.gcampax.github.com
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Look for state: ACTIVE in the output. If it’s active, the extension is running.

5. Test the Behavior

  • Switch to a workspace (e.g., press Super + 1 to go to workspace 1).
  • Open a terminal (e.g., GNOME Terminal).
  • Switch to another workspace (e.g., Super + 2).
  • Open a new terminal via the dash, application overview, or by running gnome-terminal --new-window.
  • You should now see the new terminal open in the current workspace without GNOME switching to the previous workspace.

6. Apply Changes

If the behavior doesn’t change immediately, restart GNOME Shell:

  • On Xorg: Press Alt + F2, type r, and press Enter.
  • On Wayland: Log out and log back in, or reboot with reboot.

You can check your session type with:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
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Why This Works

GNOME’s default behavior groups application instances to reduce clutter, but this can be inconvenient when you want separate terminal windows in different workspaces. The “Launch new instance” extension overrides this by ensuring that clicking an application’s icon (or launching it via other means) creates a new window in your current workspace, rather than focusing on an existing instance elsewhere.

Troubleshooting Tips

  • Extension Not Found: If gnome-extensions list doesn’t show launch-new-instance@gnome-shell-extensions.gcampax.github.com, reinstall the package: 
  sudo pacman -S --overwrite '*' gnome-shell-extensions
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  • No Effect After Enabling: Check for errors in the GNOME Shell logs: 
  journalctl -xe | grep gnome-shell
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  • Alternative Tools: If the extension doesn’t fully resolve your needs, consider tools like wmctrl to programmatically open applications in specific workspaces or extensions like Pop Shell for advanced workspace management.

Conclusion

With just a few terminal commands, you can enable the “Launch new instance” extension to make GNOME open new terminal windows in your current workspace without switching to an existing one. This small tweak has been a game-changer for my multi-workspace workflow on Arch Linux, and I hope it helps you too! If you run into issues, double-check your GNOME version (gnome-shell --version) and session type, or explore other GNOME extensions for even more control.

Happy multitasking!

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