Scaling and Dock Issues

Totally get the frustration here — GNOME + Wayland/X11 scaling can feel like it’s actively gaslighting you 😅
Let’s pin down exactly what mode you’re in and then fix both the scaling and the dock position cleanly.

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1️⃣ First: Are you in Wayland or X11 right now?

Open a terminal and run:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

It will print either:

• wayland ✅ (what you want)
• x11 ❌ (the annoying scaling behavior you’re seeing)

Tell me what it prints, but here’s what each case means:

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2️⃣ Why scaling feels “wrong” on X11

On X11, GNOME scaling is basically fake:
– 100% = normal
– 200% = comically huge
– No proper 125% / 150% fractional scaling
– Some apps shrink, some grow, some look blurry
– UI scaling feels backwards or inconsistent

On Wayland, GNOME does true fractional scaling:
– 100%, 125%, 150%, 175%, 200%
– Everything scales cleanly
– No “why did this just get smaller?” nonsense

So if scaling feels janky, you’re almost certainly in X11.

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3️⃣ Why the dock moved to the bottom

That’s just GNOME’s default behavior (Ubuntu-style layout):

• GNOME default: Dock on the left
• Ubuntu’s GNOME config: Dock on the bottom

This doesn’t tell us X11 vs Wayland by itself — just that Ubuntu’s layout settings are active.

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4️⃣ Fix the dock position (easy win)

You can put the dock back on the left instantly:

Settings → Appearance → Dock
– Set Position on screen → Left

Or via terminal:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dock-position 'LEFT'

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5️⃣ If you want to force Wayland (recommended)

If echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE says x11, here’s how to fix it:

Step A – Log out

Click your user name → Log Out

Step B – At the login screen:

• Click your username
• Look for a ⚙️ gear icon in the bottom-right
• Select:
  👉 “Ubuntu” (Wayland)
  ❌ Not “Ubuntu on Xorg”

Then log in.

After login, re-run:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

You should now see:

wayland

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6️⃣ Fix scaling properly (Wayland only)

Once in Wayland:

Settings → Displays → Scale

Pick something like:
– 125% or 150% (instead of the blunt 200%)

This will feel way more natural.

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7️⃣ Why this randomly changed without you touching anything

This part is important so you don’t feel like you’re losing your mind:

GNOME can silently flip between Wayland and X11 when:
– Nvidia drivers update
– GNOME updates
– Login manager resets
– Crashes force fallback to X11

So even if you didn’t change anything, the system absolutely could have.

You’re not crazy — this happens all the time.

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🎯 TL;DR – What I need from you

Run this and tell me the output:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

Then I’ll give you exact steps for the mode you’re in to make:
– Scaling correct
– Dock on the left
– GNOME behave like a sane desktop again

We’re close — you’re past the worst part now.

Yep — there it is. You’re on X11.
That explains all the weird scaling behavior and why it feels like GNOME is trolling you.

Let’s fix this cleanly and get you back to Wayland + sane scaling + proper dock.

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✅ Step 1 — Log into Wayland (the real fix)

1. Log out of your session.
2. On the login screen (GDM):
   – Click your username
   – Look for a ⚙️ gear icon (bottom-right of the screen)
   – Choose:
   👉 “Ubuntu”
   ❌ NOT “Ubuntu on Xorg”
3. Log back in.

After logging in, verify:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

You should now see:

wayland

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✅ Step 2 — Fix scaling (Wayland only, this will actually work)

Now go to:

Settings → Displays → Scale

Set something sane like:
– 125% or 150%

This will:
– Make things slightly smaller than what you’re seeing now
– Be clean (no blurry apps, no reversed scaling behavior)

Wayland scaling is real scaling. X11 scaling is duct tape and lies.

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✅ Step 3 — Put the dock back on the left

GNOME default got overridden by Ubuntu’s layout. Fix it:

Settings → Appearance → Dock → Position on screen → Left

Or terminal:

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dock-position 'LEFT'

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⚠️ If Wayland is missing from the login screen

Sometimes Nvidia drivers disable Wayland. If you don’t see the “Ubuntu” option:

Run:

sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf

Find this line:

#WaylandEnable=false

Make sure it is commented out (has the # in front):

#WaylandEnable=false

Save, then reboot:

sudo reboot

Then try logging in again and check the ⚙️ menu.

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🧠 Why this happened (so you don’t feel gaslit by Linux)

This flip to X11 usually happens when:
– Nvidia drivers update
– GNOME crashes
– Display manager resets
– Kernel updates

GNOME silently “falls back” to X11 without asking you.
So even though you changed nothing, the session type did change.

Linux didn’t break — GNOME just… helped you without asking. 🙃

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🎯 Your next move

Do Step 1 and log into Wayland, then tell me:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

Once that says wayland, we’ll dial in the exact scaling so it feels perfect and you can stop wanting to throw the machine out a window.

Yep — and you’re not imagining it. GNOME hides that damn gear icon in the most unintuitive place possible. It’s not on your user avatar, it’s down in the bottom-right corner of the screen on the login screen itself. Super easy to miss.

Here’s exactly what to look for, step-by-step:

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👀 Where the gear icon actually is (GNOME login screen)

1. Log out (not lock screen — full log out).
2. When you’re at the login screen:
   – Click your username first (this part is required).
   – Now look at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
   – You should see a small ⚙️ gear icon appear near the “Sign In” button.

GNOME only shows that gear after you select your user.
Before that, it’s invisible. (Because GNOME.)

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🧪 If you still don’t see the gear

Two common reasons:

🔴 Reason A – Wayland is disabled system-wide

This happens with some Nvidia setups or if GDM was configured to force X11.

Check this file:

sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf

Make sure this line is commented out:

#WaylandEnable=false

If it says:

WaylandEnable=false

Then Wayland is disabled and the gear won’t show Wayland at all.

Fix it:

#WaylandEnable=false

Save → reboot:

sudo reboot

Then try logging in again and look for the gear.

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🔴 Reason B – You’re using LightDM (not GDM)

If you’re not actually on GNOME’s display manager (GDM), the gear may not appear.

Check:

cat /etc/X11/default-display-manager

If it says something other than:

/usr/sbin/gdm3

Then GNOME isn’t controlling the login screen and we’ll need to switch display managers.

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🧘 Sanity check (you’re not doing it wrong)

What you described is exactly what people hit:

> “There’s no gear icon, you liar”

And then…
“Oh. It’s on the bottom right. Who designed this UI.”

You’re doing everything right. GNOME just makes simple things feel like a puzzle box.

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🎯 What to do right now

Log out again and scan the bottom-right corner after clicking your username.

If:
– You see a ⚙️ → pick Ubuntu (not Ubuntu on Xorg)
– You don’t see one → tell me, and I’ll walk you through enabling Wayland at the system level

We’re almost done with this nonsense.