Disable Global Menu in Ubuntu 13.10 - A Simple Guide
Disabling the Global Menu in Ubuntu 13.10
The Global menu feature in Ubuntu was implemented to maximize screen real estate for application windows. However, users with larger displays or multi-monitor setups may find that this centralized menu becomes inconvenient, as it positions menus further from their corresponding windows.
If the Global menu is not preferred within Ubuntu 13.10, it can be readily deactivated.
NOTE: When instructions involve typing commands, do not include the quotation marks unless explicitly stated.
Removing the Global Menu Package
To disable the Global menu, initiate a Terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T. Then, enter the following command at the prompt and press Enter:
sudo apt-get remove indicator-appmenu
You will be prompted for your password; enter it and press Enter to proceed.
The removal process will be displayed, along with an indication of the disk space that will be reclaimed. Confirm the operation by typing “y” and pressing Enter when prompted.
Upon completion, you will return to the command prompt. To close the Terminal, type “exit” and press Enter.
NOTE: Alternatively, the Terminal window can be closed by clicking the 'X' button located in the upper-right corner.
Observe that application menus are now restored to their respective program windows, appearing directly below the title bar.
Disabling the Global Menu in Firefox
The Global menu within Firefox requires separate disabling. Begin by opening Firefox and entering “about:config” in the address bar, then press Enter.
A warning message will appear, cautioning that modifying advanced settings may invalidate your warranty. However, as only a single setting will be altered, it is safe to proceed. Click the “I’ll be careful, I promise!” button.
In the Search box, type “unity”. Matching settings will be displayed below. The sole result for “unity” is “ui.use_unity_menubar”. This setting is a boolean value, meaning it can be either true or false. To disable the Global menu, double-click on the setting line to toggle its value to false.
The setting text will become bold, and the Value will change to false, causing the menu to reappear at the top of the Firefox window, below the title bar.
To re-enable the Global menu in Firefox, simply change the ui.use_unity_menubar setting back to true.
Re-enabling the Global Menu
Should you wish to reinstate the Global menu for all other applications, execute the following command in a Terminal window, mirroring the process used for disabling it:
sudo apt-get install indicator-appmenu
This will restore the menu bars to the top panel of the screen.