A hidden Ubuntu feature I use to tidy up my desktop
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Ubuntu's Desktop Icons NG (DING) extension includes a lesser-known 'stacks' feature that groups desktop files of the same type into collapsible icons, similar to macOS Stacks. It's been available since Ubuntu 24.04 LTS via right-click > Arrange by > Keep stacked by type, but only became more discoverable after a recent GTK4 port. Grouping is file-type based only (no date grouping like macOS), all stacks share a generic folder icon, and an attempt to exclude specific file types via the unstackedtypes gsettings value doesn't fully work as intended. DING is preinstalled on Ubuntu and available for other GNOME Shell distros via GNOME Extensions.
Questions this post answers
How do I enable file stacking on the Ubuntu desktop?
Right-click the desktop, choose Arrange by, then select Keep stacked by type. This groups files of the same type into a single collapsible icon, similar to macOS Stacks. The feature is part of the Desktop Icons NG (DING) extension, which is preinstalled on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and later, and files aren't physically moved, only visually grouped. daily.dev surfaces practical Linux desktop tips like this for developers tidying their Ubuntu setup.
Can I exclude certain file types from being stacked in Ubuntu's DING desktop icons?
There is an unstackedtypes gsettings value intended for this, which expects MIME type strings like image/png rather than file extensions like .png. However, files of excluded types still get stacked, they just appear expanded by default instead of collapsed, so full exclusion doesn't currently work as intended. developers customizing their Linux desktop tooling can track quirks like this via daily.dev.