GNOME User's Guide
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# Creating, Moving, and Removing Panels

## Creating new panels

To add a new Panel to your desktop, select the Create panel command from Panel menu. You have a choice of five possible panel types:

- `Edge Panel` — An Edge Panel is exactly like the main Panel that starts up with GNOME; it stretches along the whole length of one of screen edges. By selecting this type of panel you may add a new Panel to another edge of your screen to give yourself more functionality.

- `Aligned Panel` — Aligned Panel is also positioned along one of the screen edges. But unlike the Edge Panel, the Aligned Panel will not stretch across the entire edge of the screen it is on: it will only stretch as much as necessary to display the icons and applets it contains. It can be positioned either at one of the corners (in this case, it will stretch towards the opposite corner) or at the center of the edge (in this case, it will stretch in both directions, automatically recentering when you add new objects).

  If the Aligned panel is aligned with one of the corners, the hide buttons will work slightly differently than for the Edge Panel. The hide button closest to the edge of your screen will hide the Panel as usual but the other hide button will send the whole panel to the opposite edge. When the latter move is made it will not hide the Panel since it is changing the side of the screen it resides on. If you want to hide it you will have to press the hide button once again.

- `Sliding Panel` — This type of panel is very similar to the Aligned Panel, but can be placed anywhere along the screen edge, not necessarily in one of the corners or in the center. As you add objects, it will only grow in one direction — it won't automatically recenter.

- `Floating Panel` — This type of panel can be placed anywhere on your screen, not necessarily along one of the edges.

- `Menu Panel` — The Menu Panel is a special panel which is always placed at the top of your screen and contains several pull-down menus. These are Programs, Favorites, Settings, Desktop, a clock/calendar, and a special launcher which provides quick access to GNOME-related Internet resources (look for the bullet hole icon). This panel can also hold the other objects which other panels can hold, but it does not have the configuration properties which other panels have. Note that the Menu Panel is more restrictive than other panels, and some normal panel operations, such as moving the panel, cannot be performed on it.

| Changing panel type
| You can also change type of existing panel — for example, convert edge panel to a floating panel, see the section called Individual Panel Properties.

## Moving panels

Any Panel you have on your desktop can be moved by using the middle mouse button, or by simultaneously pressing the left and right mouse buttons, to drag the panel to the desired edge of your screen. If you do not have a middle mouse button and did not configure your mouse to emulate a middle button you may also move a Panel by changing its location in the Panel properties dialog. You can read more about this in the section called Individual Panel Properties of this documentation.

## Removing panels

To remove an existing panel, right-click on it and choose Remove this panel command from the Panel menu. You will be prompted for a confirmation.

| NOTE
| At all times, you must have at least one panel; GNOME will not allow you to remove your only panel.

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Adding, Moving, and Removing Panel Objects | Up | Global Panel Preferences