Best Window Managers for Linux of 2024

Your personal assistant simplifies the interaction with all of your windows and applications. Window manager and switcher for all platforms. Window management can be done in a consistent manner across three platforms (Windows, MacOS and Linux). Window manager and window switcher are combined in one application. Embed any website into the frameless window. The ability to activate any window on the active display, main screen, or wherever there is a mouse cursor, move windows quickly between displays, and hide all windows on the active display. When the target window disappears, and you use the shortcut again, a notification will appear informing you of the loss. The user can then use the fix/same shortcut to target a different window and ask them to set a keyboard shortcut that will bring this window up front.

Awesome is a next-generation window manager framework for X that is highly configurable. It is fast, extensible, and licensed under GNU GPLv2 License. It is primarily aimed at power users, programmers and anyone who deals with everyday computing tasks. Window managers are probably the most commonly used software in your everyday tasks, along side your web browser, email reader, and text editor. These tools are available to both power users and programmers. Some are highly extensible and customizable. Awesome tries to fill in the gaps with what we are missing: an extensible and highly configurable window manager.

i3 is an entirely new tiling windows manager. Our code is Free and Open Source Software under the BSD License. i3 is primarily aimed at advanced users and software developers. We decided to set the following goals for I3 based on our experiences when we wanted to hack/fix Wmii. Modifiability is important, as it allows people who know how to code but are not familiar with X11's inner workings to modify the program. Document why and when things happen, so that a user can get a full picture of what a Window Manager does by reading the source code. Implement multi-monitor by assigning a virtual screen to each workspace. Make sure that the operation of attaching and removing new monitors, such as video projectors, is correct. Also, support rotated monitors.

The entire configuration is done at runtime using the tool herbstclient. The configuration file is a script which is run at startup. All configuration options, virtual desktops and keybindings can be updated in real-time without restarting the window manager. Each virtual desktop (called tag), is made up of two layers: a tiling layer and a floating one. The tiling layer is used to fill the screen, and the floating window can be placed anywhere above it. All monitors share a pool of tags. With a single keystroke, you can switch between two monitors.

Configure your environment to suit your working style. Automatically arrange windows to maximize screen space by minimizing visual clutter. It's simple to create your own layouts and widgets. You can always get help from someone. Use the flexibility and power of the language to meet your needs. We will always support the latest three versions of CPython (the reference Python interpreter). We also support the latest stable versions of PyPy. In our tox configuration, you can see the versions and interpreters that we are currently testing against.

Bspwm, a tiling windows manager, represents windows as leaves on a binary tree. It only responds X events and messages received on a dedicated socket. bspc, a program which writes messages to bspwm socket. bspwm does not handle keyboard or pointer inputs. A third-party program, such as sxhkd, is required. Sxhkd is required to translate keyboard and mouse events into bspc calls. Monitors can only display the tree for one desktop (the desktop that is currently focused). The tree is a division of the rectangle of a monitor into smaller rectangular areas.

IceWM is a window-manager for the X Window System. IceWM's goal is to be fast, simple, and not get in the way of the user. It has a taskbar that includes a pager and global and window-specific keybindings, as well as a dynamic menu. Keyboard and mouse can be used to manage application windows. Windows can be iconified on the taskbar, the tray, the desktop, or hidden. You can control them by using the Alt+Tab quick switch window and a list of windows. Menu-selectable focus models include a few configurable options. RandR and Xinerama support setups with multiple monitors. IceWM is well documented, highly configurable, and themeable. It includes a simple session manager and a system-tray, as well as an external background wallpaper manager that supports transparency.

In a normal WM you spend half of your time searching and aligning windows. XMonad automates this process, making it easier to work. A Request and an Update for Our Sponsors. It's been a little over a year since XMonad 0.17.0 was released. This was also the period when we started looking for funding. The number of people who have decided to support us is astounding. Thank you! Our expenses are transparent, but it can be difficult to keep track if you are not directly involved with the project. xmonad automates window arrangement so you can focus on other things. Haskell and smart coding practices ensure a crash-free environment.