Arch Linux Window Managers

⌨ Arch Linux Window Managers Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to window managers on Arch Linux, including i3, Awesome, bspwm, Sway, and window manager configuration.

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Table of Contents

1. i3 Window Manager
2. Awesome Window Manager
3. bspwm
4. Sway (Wayland)
5. Other Window Managers

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i3 Window Manager

Install i3

Install i3:

# Install i3
sudo pacman -S i3-wm i3status i3lock dmenu

# For gaps
yay -S i3-gaps

Configure i3

Configure i3:

# Create config
mkdir -p ~/.config/i3
cp /etc/i3/config ~/.config/i3/config

# Edit config
vim ~/.config/i3/config

Key bindings:

Mod key = Windows/Super key

Mod+Enter: Terminal
Mod+D: Application launcher
Mod+Shift+Q: Close window
Mod+Shift+E: Exit i3

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Awesome Window Manager

Install Awesome

Install Awesome:

# Install Awesome
sudo pacman -S awesome

# Launch
awesome

Configure Awesome

Configure Awesome:

# Create config
mkdir -p ~/.config/awesome
cp /etc/xdg/awesome/rc.lua ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua

# Edit config
vim ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua

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bspwm

Install bspwm

Install bspwm:

# Install bspwm
sudo pacman -S bspwm sxhkd

# Configure
mkdir -p ~/.config/bspwm
vim ~/.config/bspwm/bspwmrc

# Hotkey daemon
vim ~/.config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc

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Sway (Wayland)

Install Sway

Install Sway:

# Install Sway
sudo pacman -S sway swaybg swayidle swaylock

# Configure
mkdir -p ~/.config/sway
cp /etc/sway/config ~/.config/sway/config

# Edit config
vim ~/.config/sway/config

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Other Window Managers

Openbox

Install Openbox:

# Install Openbox
sudo pacman -S openbox

# Configure
mkdir -p ~/.config/openbox
cp /etc/xdg/openbox/rc.xml ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml

dwm

Install dwm:

# Install dwm
sudo pacman -S dwm

# Or build from source
git clone https://git.suckless.org/dwm
cd dwm
make && sudo make install

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Summary

This guide covered i3, Awesome, bspwm, Sway, and other window managers.

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Next Steps

• Arch Linux Desktop Environments - Desktop environments
• Arch Linux Display Server Configuration - Display servers
• ArchWiki Window Managers: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Window_manager

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This guide is based on the ArchWiki. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official ArchWiki.