Arch Linux Window Managers - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

⌨ Arch Linux Window Managers Guide

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

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary

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

Next Steps

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