It’s somewhat of a general rule that each new OS that comes out (doesn’t particularly matter which one) is better than the one it replaces. And, when I say better, what I actually mean is more user-friendly.
There’s a lot that goes into making a good desktop environment, and even the smallest of details can make or break it. Usually, the more “natural” and intuitive the moves and actions, the better it feels for a wider spectrum of users.
That’s why window tiling and snapping is, for most users, a big deal. If you’re a GNOME user, I’m sure we can agree that the latest releases of GNOME are relatively decent when it comes to window tiling and snapping mechanics.
But, I think we can also agree that there’s a lot of room for improvement, right? This is where Tiling Shell comes into play.
In short, Tiling Shell is a new GNOME Shell extension that improves the whole window tiling and snapping experience on GNOME desktops.
It supports half-tiling, quarter-tiling, horizontal-tiling, vertical-tiling, and pretty much everything in between. I really mean it, just try it! What this small but very unique extension does is it basically extends the default 2 columns (of the GNOME default tiling and snapping manager) to any layout you can think of.
Even though these are not what make Tiling Shell great and are definitely not the highlights of this GNOME Shell extension, I think it’s important that they’re known.
Tiling Shell can be installed on any GNOME desktop (upwards of 40.0), and it works on both X11 and Wayland. Another great feature is the multiple monitor support. What’s really cool about this feature is that it even works if different scalings are involved.
The short answer is – its flexibility, which in turn super-charges the whole user experience. For starters, this is a tool that is designed to work just as efficiently for both keyboard-centric (it revolves around you having to press and hold CTRL when moving a window) and mouse-driven users.
Tiling Shell’s Snap Assistant is as good as Windows 11’s snap assistant, which is saying a lot. The cool thing is that the extension provides various default tiling sets.
However, the app doesn’t force you into anything, hence, you can fully edit each layout. You can create very (and I mean very) specific tiling arrangements in mere seconds, with just a few flicks of the mouse.
For what it is, it’s also very customizable. For instance, you can disable the Snap Assistant, change the modifier keys between CTRL, ALT and SUPER, set inner and outer gaps around windows, and even control the extension’s behavior to a surprisingly high degree.
I find it very difficult to stop myself from fully endorsing and recommending this GNOME Shell extension. You don’t have to use it a lot to know that it deserves its place “among the greats.”
It’s just a very good piece of software, it’s free, it’s well-thought-out, it’s efficient, it’s easy to use, and it’s remarkably powerful and customizable. In fact, it’s so good that I can’t stop but thinking that it should be officially added to the next GNOME releases, I’m sure everyone would love that.
As usual, if you want to install this GNOME Shell extension (or any GNOME Shell extension) quickly and painlessly, then do yourself a favor and do it with the help of Extension Manager (another software that can’t seem to stop recommending to everyone).
