Focus Under Cursor on Overview Exit

Focus the window under your cursor when exiting GNOME Overview — just like macOS Mission Control.

What It Does

The Problem: GNOME always returns focus to the previously focused window when you exit Overview, even if your cursor is somewhere else.

The Solution: This extension focuses whatever window your cursor is pointing at when you close Overview.

How It Works

Your Action	Result
Hover a window thumbnail → Close Overview	That window gets focus ✅
Move cursor over empty space → Close Overview	Window under cursor gets focus ✅
Don't move cursor → Close Overview	Focus stays unchanged ✅

Installation

Option 1: extensions.gnome.org (Recommended)

Install from the official GNOME Extensions site: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/9578/focus-under-cursor-on-overview-exit/

Option 2: One-Line Install

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dalpat/focus-under-cursor/main/install.sh | bash

Option 3: Manual Install

git clone https://github.com/dalpat/focus-under-cursor.git
cd focus-under-cursor
./install.sh

Note: On Wayland, log out and back in. On X11, press Alt+F2, type r, press Enter.

Settings

Open settings with:

gnome-extensions prefs focus-under-cursor@extension

Available Options

Focus window under cursor when no preview was hovered

Controls whether hovering a window preview focuses it when you haven't moved your pointer.

• ON: Hovering any window preview focuses it immediately, even if you haven't moved your mouse since opening Overview
• OFF (default): Focus only changes if you actually move your pointer onto a preview

Example: If you open Overview with Super key and your mouse happens to be over a window preview, but you don't move the mouse:

• Setting ON: That window gets focused when you close Overview
• Setting OFF: Focus stays on whatever window was active before

Compatibility

Works with GNOME Shell 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later