# Set GNOME Workspace Shortcuts with Bare PageUp/PageDown Keys

Canonical: https://snipgeek.com/notes/gnome-workspace-shortcut-pageup-pagedown-gsettings
Locale: en
Description: GNOME Settings rejects bare PageUp/PageDown for workspace shortcuts. Bypass this GUI limitation using gsettings to enable faster navigation.
Date: 2026-05-03
Updated: 
Tags: linux, gnome-50, tutorial, troubleshooting
JSON: https://snipgeek.com/api/notes/gnome-workspace-shortcut-pageup-pagedown-gsettings?locale=en

---


I was setting up my GNOME workflow and wanted a clean, single-key shortcut to switch workspaces. <kbd>PageUp</kbd> and <kbd>PageDown</kbd> felt like the natural choice — they're right there, unused during normal typing, and perfectly positioned for thumb access.

But GNOME Settings had other plans. Every time I tried to assign them under **Settings → Keyboard → Navigation**, the dialog simply refused to save. No error message. Just silence.

The problem: GNOME's GUI keyboard shortcut editor requires at least one modifier key (<kbd>Super</kbd>, <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>, <kbd>Alt</kbd>) for workspace navigation shortcuts. Bare keys are silently rejected. The fix is straightforward — set them via `gsettings` on the command line.

![GNOME keyboard shortcut navigation settings showing workspace switch options](https://res.cloudinary.com/snipgeek/image/upload/q_auto/f_auto/v1777635382/Screenshot_inqbkp.webp)

## Setting the Shortcuts via gsettings

One thing to note: GNOME modern workspace layouts are horizontal, so the key names use **left/right** instead of up/down.

<Steps>
  <Step>

### Open a Terminal

Any terminal emulator works.

  </Step>
  <Step>

### Assign PageUp and PageDown

Run these two commands:

```bash
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-to-workspace-left "['Page_Up']"
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-to-workspace-right "['Page_Down']"
```

  </Step>
  <Step>

### Verify the Assignment

Confirm the shortcuts were stored correctly:

```bash
gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-to-workspace-left
gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-to-workspace-right
```

Expected output:

```
['Page_Up']
['Page_Down']
```

  </Step>
</Steps>

That's it. <kbd>PageUp</kbd> and <kbd>PageDown</kbd> now switch workspaces immediately — no modifier key required.

<Callout variant="info" title="Prefer a Modifier Combination?">
  If you'd rather use <kbd>Super</kbd>+<kbd>PageUp</kbd> or similar, adjust the command:

  ```bash
  gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-to-workspace-left "['<Super>Page_Up']"
  gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-to-workspace-right "['<Super>Page_Down']"
  ```
</Callout>

## Why the Terminal Is Necessary

I spent a good five minutes clicking around the Settings app thinking I was doing something wrong. Turns out, the GUI keyboard shortcut editor has a hard filter: it won't register any shortcut for workspace navigation unless at least one modifier key is present. This is a deliberate design choice, not a bug — presumably to prevent accidental workspace switches during normal typing.

But `gsettings` doesn't enforce that filter. The same bare-key binding that the GUI rejects is perfectly valid at the dconf level. Once I learned that, the fix took about ten seconds.

If you're setting up a [fresh Ubuntu install](/blog/ubuntu-26-04-lts-resolute-raccoon-new-features-major-changes), I'd recommend adding these commands to your post-install script alongside other [GNOME customization tweaks](/blog/remap-keyboard-key-keyd-wayland-linux). It's a small quality-of-life improvement that makes workspace navigation feel noticeably faster.

### References
1. [gsettings — GNOME Developer Documentation](https://developer.gnome.org/gio/stable/gsettings.html)
2. [org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings — GNOME Schemas](https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-control-center/-/blob/main/schemas/org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings.gschema.xml)