Gnome Shell Extension- Dim Background Windows - Version 16 for Gnome 45, 46 and 47

A gnome shell extension dimming background / non-focused windows. The brightness and saturation of background windows can be tweaked in the extension preferences.

Compatibility

This extension has been tested on:

• Ubuntu 24.04 using Gnome 46.0 / Wayland.
• Ubuntu 23.10 using Gnome 45.2 / Wayland.
• Fedora 39 using Gnome 45.3 / Wayland.

This extension shouldn't conflict with any other extension. It simply adds an effect - a GLSL fragment shader - to alter the brightness and saturation of background windows. It reacts on window creation and focus events as well as when the overview is shown or hidden. It doesn't do anything outside of those events.

Known issue

Maximized windows don't get the dimming effect if a window on a different monitor gets the focus. There is currently no known fix for this problem.

Similar Extensions

I found this one, which seems old and not maintained anymore (but might still work on older Gnome versions):

https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/650/shade-inactive-windows

Installation

To install the extension, visit its page on the official Gnome Extensions page:

https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/6313/dim-background-windows/

To install the latest development version of the extension manually, one can download the zip file available above and execute:

gnome-extensions install dim-background-windows@stephane-13.github.com.shell-extension.zip

Please note that the latest code in this repository might be pending validation on extensions.gnome.org, which has the latest stable version. The code in the main branch is considered stable, but not yet ready for production until it's been validated by extensions.gnome.org.

To package the extension locally - for example to test a code patch - clone this git repository and execute:

gnome-extensions pack .

This will generate the zip file above, which can then be installed (use the --force flag if a previous version of the extension is already installed). Logout / login is usually required to see the code changes effect.

Versions History

• Version 16 : Gnome 45-46-47 - Added support for Gnome 47 and simplified windows focus detection
• Version 15 : Gnome 45-46 - Added support for Gnome 46
• Version 14 : Gnome 42 to 44 - Fixed startup error "this.interfaceSettings is undefined" (https://github.com/stephane-13/gnome-shell-extension-dim-background-windows/issues/21)
• Version 13 : Gnome 45 - Bug fix release for tiled windows not handled correctly (https://github.com/stephane-13/gnome-shell-extension-dim-background-windows/issues/17)
• Version 12 : Gnome 42 to 44 - Added options to control the dimming effect in night light mode and with dark style appearance
• Version 11 : Gnome 45 - Added options to control the dimming effect in night light mode and with dark style appearance
• Version 10 : Gnome 42 to 44 - Added options to control the dimming effect on maximized and tiled windows
• Version 9 : Gnome 45 - Added options to control the dimming effect on maximized and tiled windows
• Version 8 : identical to version 7, but for Gnome 45
• Version 7 : Added an option to apply the dimming effect only to the primary monitor, only to the secondary monitor(s) or to all monitors. Also added an option to enable or disable the dimming effect for windows marked as always on top.
• Version 6 : Disabled dimming effect in overview mode.
• Version 5 : Implemented configurable shortcut to toggle the dimming effect.
• Version 4 : First validated version.

License

This software comes with no license. Use at your own risk. Reuse / modify / distribute it without any restriction.