How to Install a Tiling Window Manager on Linux (and Why You Should)

The window manager is responsible for the placement and appearance of windows on the Linux desktop. If you’re using a full desktop environment (such as GNOME or Plasma), the window manager is part of that stack. In GNOME, for example, the window manager is Mutter. In Plasma, it’s KWin. Each window manager offers a different set of features and aesthetics.

Also: The Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux and What They Can Do for You

There is a type of window manager designed specifically to provide the most efficient experience, a window manager that lets you keep your hands on the keyboard longer while enjoying automatically placed and sized windows. That window manager is called a tiling window manager. (Previously, I reviewed what I believe to be the most efficient window managers.) Best Tiling Window Managers (currently available.)

Today I am going to show you how to install a tiling window manager on Linux.

I will demonstrate how to do this using the i3 tiling window managerI will show how this is done, with a single command, on the most popular Linux distributions (Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, Alpine, Arch and openSUSE).

Please note that tiling window managers are usually geared towards advanced users. For those who want to try out tiling window management, without having to install the software, they can always use the Tiling Shell Extension for GNOME either Polonium for Plasma. Other distributions, such as Pop!_OSincludes a tiling window manager extension by default, which you can enable or disable as needed.

Also: 10 Things I Always Do After Installing Linux (And Why You Should Too)

Here’s another thing to keep in mind: When you install a tiling window manager, it installs itself in In addition to What you already have. This means you can choose between the default desktop environment or the new tiling window manager on the login screen.

For those curious, i3 is a highly configurable tiling window manager that features a tree data structure for more flexible layouts and includes custom keyboard shortcuts and simple text settings without the need to reboot the system.

That being said, let’s move on to the installation.

How to Install a Tiling Window Manager on Linux

What you will need: To install the i3 tiling window manager, you will need a running instance of one of the distributions mentioned above and a user with sudo privileges. Most of these window managers do not require much storage space, so they can be safely installed alongside what you already have.

sudo apt-get install i3 -y

When the installation is complete, reboot your machine. Select (or type) your username and then in the bottom right corner, click the gear icon and select i3 from the list. Type in your password and hit Enter to see minimal glory, which is i3.

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Reboot, select your user, select i3, type your password and press Enter.

Your first steps with i3

When you first log in with i3, you’ll be asked which key you want to use to open the run dialog. You can select between Alt or Super. Once you’ve done that, all you’ll see is a thin bar at the bottom of the screen. If you want to open an application, press Super+D (or Alt+D, depending on which key you’ve set) and type the name of the application executable you want to run. For example, if you want to open gnome-terminal, type gnome terminalTo open Firefox, type Firefox.

Also: I used to be a regular Linux distro hopper, but now I stick with Pop!_OS: 5 reasons why

The first window will automatically open on the left side of the screen and the second app will open on the right side. If you open a third window, the screen will be divided vertically into three parts.

The keyboard is crucial with the i3 and there are certain key combinations you’ll want to know, which are:

• Super + Enter – opens a terminal
• Super + j – gives focus to the left window
• Super + k – gives focus to the lower window
• Super + l – gives focus to the top window
• Super + ; – gives focus to the right window
• Super + a – gives focus to the main window
• Super + Space – toggle focus mode
• Super + Shift + j – move a window to the left
• Super + Shift + k – move a window down
• Super + Shift + l – move a window up
• Super + Shift + ; – move a window to the right
• Super + f – toggle full screen mode
• Super + v – split a window vertically
• Super + h – split a window horizontally
• Super + r – resize mode
• Super + Shift + Space – toggle floating window mode
• Super + left mouse click: drag a floating window

And that, my fellow Linux lovers, is all there is to know about tiling a window. There are other window managers out there that can be installed, but i3 is the best. Remember to be patient as you learn this new desktop paradigm. If you’re looking for the most efficient desktop possible, the time you spend getting familiar with i3 will be well worth it.