--- title: "A hidden Ubuntu feature I use to tidy up my desktop" url: https://daily.dev/posts/a-hidden-ubuntu-feature-i-use-to-tidy-up-my-desktop-04xpjyrq4 source_url: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-desktop-icons-stacks type: article source: "omg! ubuntu!" published: 2026-08-26T14:46:11.599Z updated: 2026-08-26T15:30:07.585Z tags: ["linux", "ubuntu"] reading_time: 3 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # A hidden Ubuntu feature I use to tidy up my desktop **[omg\! ubuntu\!](https://daily.dev/sources/omgub)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary 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. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## 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._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Ubuntu’s desktop icons extension completes its GTK4 port](https://daily.dev/posts/ubuntu-s-desktop-icons-extension-completes-its-gtk4-port-jsn1t8ykk) · omg\! ubuntu\! · 15 upvotes · 4 comments - [17 GNOME Extensions To Help You Customization Desktop Looks](https://daily.dev/posts/17-gnome-extensions-to-help-you-customization-desktop-looks-6plaruguw) · It's Foss · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Multi-Column Dock Extension for GNOME Shell](https://daily.dev/posts/multi-column-dock-extension-for-gnome-shell-nghudwyco) · omg\! ubuntu\! · 55 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#ubuntu](https://daily.dev/tags/ubuntu) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/a-hidden-ubuntu-feature-i-use-to-tidy-up-my-desktop-04xpjyrq4)