Some things can be changed manually or with add-ons (widgets), while others can’t be changed at all, or only with great difficulty or to a minimal extent.
You could also try doing it with custom programming and configuration, but the effort wouldn’t really be worth it.
Gnome Desktop
Ubuntu with the default GNOME interface works fundamentally differently out of the box. Normally, there is no such permanent, visible quick launch bar in the taskbar.
Dash to Panel mixes some of the concepts of Windows and GNOME, combining the Dash and the application bar into a Windows-like taskbar.
But even though you now have a Windows-like panel, the behavior of favorites and other elements still follows GNOME’s logic, icons disappear or switch within the running applications area.
I’d suggest trying Isolate Favorites , in the Dash to Panel settings under Advanced Settings > Isolate Favorites and see if changing the options there makes any difference.
Otherwise, you can try these three other extensions, but you’ll still face some limitations due to the GNOME design.
Dash to Panel will probably remain the option that gets you closest to a proper solution.
Arc Menu:
Replaces the standard menu with a Windows-like start menu
Features include: various menu layouts, built in GNOME search, quick access to system shortcuts, and much more!
Just Perfection
It also allows you to modify dozens of small aspects of GNOME
Frippery Applications Menu
A simpler alternative to Arc Menu
Replace Activities button with an Applications menu
Personally, I liked the implementation and performance of GNOME in Tails the most. However, whether Tails is suitable for everyday use is something everyone has to decide for themselves.
Alternative desktop environments
Since I do some desktop hardening for client systems used in development and office environments, this is my personal opinion and experience from the past few years with Debian 8–12.
The problem with some desktop environments at the moment is that they only run on X11, while support for Wayland is still experimental.
I’ve already mentioned this in several posts, so I don’t have to repeat it again.
Cinnamon Desktop
The Cinnamon desktop is, in my opinion, one of the best when it comes to customization options. It allows a lot of adjustments and is also one of the most similar to Windows.
The current dilemma, however, is that Wayland support is still experimental, and in the past, I often experienced freezes, hangs, or screen artifacts after various updates, upgrades, and software installations.
KDE Desktop
A very powerful and excellent desktop environment that I also use, but some settings sometimes don’t work properly or are a bit clunky, especially when it comes to the start menu and the taskbar.
Additionally, when using external themes or widgets, they can sometimes slow down the system, the desktop environment itself.
XFCE
Lightweight and fast, but I miss many of the features that are standard in KDE. Wayland support is still experimental at the moment.
You can customize this desktop environment to achieve a Windows-like look and feel, but it can also be a bit finicky at times when trying to change certain settings.
Openbox
A window manager that lets you build your entire desktop from scratch.
You start with a blank canvas, just the background and windows and you place and configure each element manually by adding/installing various components.
These are the most common ones, but there are many others like LXDE, LXQt, MATE, etc.
If you want to try them all, you can test most of them using live systems, or you can install, for example, Debian with all the available desktop environments and try them out.
This takes a lot of time, and in the end, you should consider functionality and security depending on your use case when choosing a desktop environment.
