While it is possible to influence the virtual desktop grid layout by changing the virtual desktop layout itself (in the virtual desktop configuration), the pager widget representation is coupled to this setting.
A single setting serves very different purposes: window-management structure, gestures and visual representation. While this coupling can be useful for mnemonics, it becomes limiting when these concerns need to be addressed independently.
Users must change the desktop layout even if they only want a different pager visualization. This coupling causes practical usability issues, particularly on multi-monitor systems. When virtual desktops are arranged in a single horizontal row—such as the default behavior when extending to the left or right while plugging in an external monitor—the pager can become very wide. On panels, especially top or bottom panels, this wastes a significant amount of horizontal space.
In this scenario, a grid-shaped pager is desirable to conserve panel space, while keeping a linear (horizontal) desktop layout for navigation and touchpad gestures.
Compare:
Currently, this is not possible. Therefore, the pager should provide a direct option to set the number of rows used in its grid representation. Decoupling the pager layout from the desktop layout would restore flexibility without breaking existing behavior (e.g. gestures).
Something like this could be added to the pager settings:
