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Linux window managers are responsible for managing the appearance and placement of application windows on your system. They operate in the background to guarantee that windows are presented in the appropriate manner. In this post, we will study the best Linux window managers that provide a mix between ease of use and powerful functionality.
These window managers have been chosen because they offer this balance. It is essential to emphasize that desktop environments and window managers are not interchangeable terms, as it is easy to make this mistake. Desktop environments provide a full range of tools, including toolbars, wallpapers, widgets, folders, and icons, in addition to a collection of applications and libraries, for the purpose of ensuring that computer operations are carried out in a smooth manner.
Best Window Managers for Linux Comparison Table
| Window Manager | Tiling Layout | Configuration Language | Extensibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| bspwm | Yes | Shell Script | Moderate |
| Qtile | Yes | Python | High |
| Awesome WM | Yes | Lua | High |
| DWM | Yes | C | Low |
| Xmonad | Yes | Haskell | High |
bspwm
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Tiling Layout | Organizes windows in a non-overlapping manner |
| EWMH Support | Complies with the Extended Window Manager Hints |
| Keyboard Control | Fully controlled through keyboard shortcuts |
bspwm is a Best Window Managers for Linux that can tile windows. bspwm was used to make the first screenshot you see in this story. To use the keyboard and mouse bindings, you need to install both the window manager and a different package.
You can choose how new windows are added or where they go by hand with bspwm, or you can set it to work automatically, in which case it will follow a set pattern to arrange the windows. Before you can use it, you have to set it up right. For people who have never used a window manager before, the instructions may not be easy to understand. The instruction page for bspwm on Arch Linux should help you get going.
The Good
- Easy to carry and effective
- Scripting makes it easy to make changes.
- Excellent tiling skills
The Bad
- Hard to figure out how to set up.
- A simple design might not be what everyone wants.
Qtile
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Python-based | Configured and extended using Python |
| Tiling Layout | Supports tiling and stacking window layouts |
| Dynamic Layouts | Allows dynamic switching between layouts |
X11 and Wayland users can take advantage of the tiling window manager known as Qtile, which can be customized. It has a number of features despite having a straightforward implementation.
You will be provided with a command shell that allows you to inspect and control all parts of the window manager. The ability to completely script Qtile from a remote location is one of its many strengths.
The Good
- Python makes it easy to make changes.
- Management of windows that is flexible and changing
- Good documentation and help from the community
The Bad
- For customization, you need to know Python.
- Setup and setting at first may be hard.
Awesome WM
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Tiling Layout | Efficiently organizes windows in a tiled manner |
| Lua Configuration | Configured and extended using Lua scripting |
| Extensive APIs | Provides extensive APIs for customization |
Awesome WM is a Best Window Managers for Linuxthat is free and written in the computer language Lua. The project began as a copy of DWM (Dynamic Window Manager) and grew into a full-fledged Linux window manager. It has an easy way to control windows and is pretty fast. The programming tool used to make it is Lua, which gives developers and users a lot of ways to change it.
Also, its advanced features let users have full control over the GUI and how windows are managed. It has a well-documented API that you can use to learn about all of the ways to customize it and more advanced features. It also uses the asynchronous XCM library instead of the Xlib library, which makes sure that your moves don’t have to wait as long.
The Good
- Lightweight and good at using resources
- Highly flexible and able to grow
- Excellent support from the community and busy growth
The Bad
- Hard to figure out how to set up.
- For advanced modification, you need to know how to write Lua scripts.
DWM
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Window | Dynamically manages windows and layouts |
| Small Footprint | Minimalistic and lightweight codebase |
| Keyboard-driven | Focused on keyboard-driven window management |
Dynamic-Window Manager (DWM) is a Best Window Managers for Linux that does its job well and has few features. It is one of the oldest open-source projects for window managers. It has given other dynamic tiling window managers, like xmonad and awesome, ideas for how to do things.
The Good
- Extremely light and quick.
- Very good tile work and window management
- Simple and well-kept code
The Bad
- Changes to the settings need to be recompiled.
- Few features and customization choices that come standard
Xmonad
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Tiling Layout | Provides dynamic and customizable tiling layouts |
| Written in Haskell | Built using the Haskell programming language |
| Extensible | Offers extension and customization through Haskell |
Xmonad is a Best Window Managers for Linux that is free and open source. It is written in the Haskell programming language and comes with a setup file that lets you change how it works to suit your needs.
Since it is written in Haskell, the xmonad setup file can be hard to understand and set up right away, especially if you have never used Haskell before. But if you know the code well, you can do a lot more with it than you can with most window managers.
The Good
- Strong focus on being able to grow and change.
- Capabilities to tile quickly and well
- A functional computer language was used to write it.
The Bad
- Haskell code makes it hard to learn.
- Setting up and configuring for the first time can be hard.
FAQs
How you install and use a window manager is different for each version. Most of the time, your package manager will let you add a window manager. After installation, you can choose the window manager you want at the login screen or set it up in the settings for your desktop environment.
Yes, you can change from one window manager to another on Linux. During the login process, most Linux versions let you choose the window manager you want to use. You can also set up your system so that you can install different window managers and switch between them as needed.