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ArchWiki / Comparison of tiling window managers

es:Comparison of tiling window managers hu:Comparison of tiling window managers it:Comparison of tiling window managers ja:タイル型ウィンドウマネージャの比較 ru:Comparison of tiling window managers zh-hans:平铺式窗口管理器比较 This article provides an unbiased comparison of the most popular tiling window managers (as opposed to floating window managers).

Comparison table

External control can also be achieved by programs like xdotool which simulate keystrokes.

The following table lists the most popular tiling window managers alongside notable features, providing readers with a quick overview.

Management style

Dynamic management emphasizes automatic management of window layouts for speed and simplicity. Manual management emphasizes manual adjustment of layout and sizing with potentially more precise control, at the cost of more time spent moving and sizing windows.

Layouts

A number of common layout types appear in several tiling WMs, although the terminology varies somewhat.

  • max: one window shown fullscreen (with or without a status bar, title and borders). Aka: monocle (dwm, monsterwm).

  • h-stack: master area in top half, other windows stack up horizontally in the bottom half. The master area may be resizable. May be inverted top-bottom (wmfs). Aka: bottom stack (dwm), bstack(monsterwm).

  • v-stack: master area in left half, other windows stack up vertically in the right half. The master area may be resizable. May be inverted left-right (wmfs). Aka: tile (dwm, monsterwm).

  • nh-stack: h-stack allowing >=1 windows in master area. Aka: nbstack (dwm)

  • nv-stack: v-stack allowing >=1 windows in master area. Aka: ntile (dwm)

  • mirror-h: nh-stack with stacks above and below the master area

  • mirror-v: nv-stack with stacks to the left and right of the master area

  • h-tab: one window shown fullscreen with all window titles shown horizontally (like browser tabs)

  • v-tab: one window shown fullscreen with all window titles shown vertically. Aka: stack (wmii).

  • h-split: a keybinding splits the current window horizontally creating space for another

  • v-split: a keybinding splits the current window vertically creating space for another

  • columns: manual layout style which treats windows as belonging to vertical columns

  • rows: manual layout style which treats windows as belonging to horizontal rows

  • grid: window positions and sizes based on a regular NxM grid. May be automatic (like wmfs, monsterwm) or manual (like Subtle).

Key bindings

Tiling window managers are usually designed to be used entirely with the keyboard or with keyboard & mouse. This is for speed (reaching for and moving a mouse is slow) and ease of use. Sensible key bindings are crucial to making workflow fast and efficient. Some default sets are better than others, but generally the keys can be rebound as desired by the user.

See also