Dynmamic Window Manager (DWM)

dwm is a bare-bones window tiling manager. It replaces the Desktop Environment such as KDE, Gnome, Xfce, but can be made to work with them, if you prefer.

dwm default install comes with the bare minimum “sandbox”, like a playground to add toys (patches) that extend the base functionality with whatever you want.

The installation is preferably done manually by cloning, making (building), and installing locally.

Official

Tags

Tags are similar to Workspaces, but not the samething. The Windows that are displayed on a screen, depend on which Tags are active.

For example, you can have applications tiled in windows with Tag 3 and others tagged 4. If only Tag 3 is active, than only Tag 3’s windows will be laid out. You can activate multiple Tags by right-clicking on them in the Top Bar. Then all Windows associated with those Tags are laid out before you.

Tags are like “markers” that can group Windows for displaying by toggling.

Helpful keyboard shortcuts

Note that “alt” here represents “Mod1” in the manual. By default, “Mod1” in US keyboard layout maps to the left “alt” key, but can be changed i.e. to the Windows key.

Open a new Terminal window

• alt + shift + enter

With a focused Window

• Close the Window’s App
  • alt + shift + C
• Toggle between positioning the Window between Master & Stack areas
  • alt + enter

Primary (master) Area

• Increase Master area’s number of Windows
  • alt + d
• Decrease Master area’s number of Windows
  • alt + i
• Increase Master area’s size
  • alt + l
• Decrease Master area’s size
  • alt + h

Layout

• Set to Tiled layout (based on Primary/Stack config)
  • alt + t
• Set to Monocle layout (fullscreen focused window)
  • alt + m
• Set to Floating layout (freestyle mode)
  • alt + f
• Toggle to last layout
  • alt + space

Tags

• Assign the active Window a Tab number
  • alt + shift + [1..n]
• View Tag (display Windows associated with a Tag)
  • alt + [1..n]
• Switch to last active Tag
  • alt + tab
• See Windows of all Tags
  • alt + 0

Toggle the Top Bar

• alt + b

Mouse

• Drag Windows around
  • alt + left-click + drag
• Toggle Window layout style (floating vs tiled)
  • alt + middle-click
• Re-size Window (by moving the bottom-right corner)
  • alt + right-click + drag

Quit

• alt + shift + q

Patch specific

Fullgaps or ru_gaps

• Decrease gap size
  • alt + -
• Increase gap size
  • alt + =

Fibonacci

• Set to Spiral layout (similar to Tiled but Stack spirals)
  • alt + r
• Set to Dwindle layout (similar to Spiral but reverse direction)
  • alt + shift + R