dwm

dwm [-v]

-v
    Print version information to stderr, then exit.

dwm is a lightweight, dynamic window manager for the X11 window system. It automatically tiles windows into a sensible layout and lets the user control their size and position via keyboard shortcuts. Designed with the suckless philosophy in mind, dwm emphasizes simplicity, minimal resource usage, and hackability.

Windows are managed in three main layouts: tiled (master-stack), monocle (full-screen focus), and floating (traditional stacking). Tagging replaces traditional workspaces, allowing windows to belong to multiple tags and view combinations dynamically.

dwm has no mouse dependency for core operations—everything is keyboard-driven using the Mod1 (Alt) or Mod4 (Super) key by default. Status information is shown in the bar, updated via external scripts. Its configuration is unique: edit config.h, recompile with make, and reinstall. This ensures a lean codebase without runtime configuration overhead. Ideal for power users seeking efficiency on Unix-like systems.

Configuration requires editing config.h, recompiling with make, and reinstalling—no GUI config.
Minimalist design lacks built-in features like compositing; extend via patches.
X11-only; not Wayland-compatible natively.

Modify config.h for keybindings, layouts, colors, etc. Run make clean install to apply changes.

Start via .xinitrc (exec dwm), display manager, or startx. Runs until logout or Mod+Shift+Q (default quit).

Updated via ~/.xinitrc or external scripts piped to xsetroot -name or slstatus.

Released in 2006 by Anselm R. Garbe as part of the suckless.org project. Inspired by wmii, it evolved into a tag-based tiler. Maintained via community patches; latest versions focus on stability and portability. Widely used in minimal setups for its 200-line core.

i3(1), bspwm(1), awesome(1), xmonad(1), herbstluftwm(1)