Start applications

Move your mouse pointer to the Activities corner at the top left of the screen to show the Activities Overview. This is where you can find all of your applications. (You can also open the overview by pressing the windows key.)

There are several ways of opening an application once you're in the activities overview:

  • Start typing the name of an application - searching begins instantly. (If this doesn't happen, click the search bar at the top right of the screen and start typing.) Click the application's icon to start it.

  • Click the Applications heading at the top of the screen to see a list of the applications you can run. You can filter them by type using the categories on the right, or search using the search bar at the top right. Click the application's icon to start it.

  • Some applications have icons in the dash, the vertical strip of icons on the left-hand side of the activities overview. Click one of these to start the corresponding application.

    If you have applications that you use very frequently, you can add them to the dash yourself.

  • You can launch an application in a separate workspace by dragging its icon from the dash (or from the list of applications), and dropping it onto one of the workspaces on the right-hand side of the screen. The application will open in the chosen workspace.

Quickly running a command

Another way of launching an application is to press Alt+F2, enter its command name, and then press Enter.

For example, to launch Rhythmbox, press Alt+F2 and type 'rhythmbox' (without the single-quotes). The name of the app is the command to launch the program.