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How to Disable or Change the Ubuntu “Activities” Button in the Top-Left Corner

The “Activities” button in Ubuntu’s top-left corner is part of the GNOME desktop. It opens the Activities Overview, where you can see open windows, virtual desktops, and search apps.

If you find yourself never using it, or you keep triggering it by accident, you might want to hide it, change how it behaves, or disable the hot corner that activates it.

This guide explains what the Activities button actually is, the main ways to control it, and how your Ubuntu version and desktop setup change what’s possible.

What the “Activities” Button and Hot Corner Actually Do

On a standard Ubuntu desktop (GNOME-based):

  • The top panel has, at the top-left, the Activities label (or an icon)
  • Moving your mouse to the top-left hot corner or clicking Activities opens:
    • A zoomed-out view of all open windows
    • A workspace / virtual desktop list
    • A search bar for apps and files

Behind the scenes:

  • This is part of the GNOME Shell interface, not a separate app.
  • The label and hot corner are essentially triggers for the same action: open the Activities Overview.
  • Changing or disabling it usually means using:
    • GNOME Tweaks
    • GNOME Shell Extensions (like Dash to Panel or Just Perfection)
    • Configuration tools such as gsettings or dconf-editor

There isn’t a single checkbox in standard Settings called “Disable Activities button”, but there are several practical workarounds that control its appearance and trigger behavior.

Step 1: Confirm Your Ubuntu Version and Desktop

The options you have depend heavily on:

  • Ubuntu version
    • Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 use recent GNOME versions.
    • Older releases (e.g., 18.04) use slightly different GNOME behavior and extension compatibility.
  • Which desktop you’re actually running
    • Ubuntu (default) → GNOME Shell
    • Kubuntu → KDE Plasma (no Activities button like GNOME)
    • Xubuntu → Xfce
    • Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Budgie, etc. → different environments, different controls

If you’re on stock Ubuntu with the orange/purple GNOME desktop, everything below applies directly.

You can check your version quickly: