i dont have the activities overview button on my desktop
instead theres the applications and places button but when i disable those there is nothing else
ive tried pressing the windows key to open it however it only shows me my workspaces
theres no app grid either so i need some help relating this
This sounds like the “GNOME Classic” session rather than regular “GNOME”.
Log out and select your user on the login screen. Before entering your password, there should be a little cog icon in the bottom right corner, where you can select “GNOME” as your session.