kwin
window manager for KDE Plasma
TLDR
Start KWin (X11)
$ kwin_x11 --replace
Start KWin Wayland$ kwin_wayland
Restart KWin$ kwin_x11 --replace &
Reconfigure KWin$ qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin reconfigure
List effects$ qdbus org.kde.KWin /Effects listLoadedEffects
SYNOPSIS
kwin_x11 [options]kwin_wayland [options]
DESCRIPTION
KWin is the window manager for KDE Plasma. It handles window placement, decorations, virtual desktops, and desktop effects (compositing).KWin supports both X11 (kwinx11) and Wayland (kwinwayland) sessions, providing features like window tiling, wobbly windows, desktop grid, and scripting.
PARAMETERS
--replace
Replace running window manager.--crashes n
Crash limit for restart.--lock
Start with screen locked.--no-kactivities
Disable KActivities.
D-BUS CONTROL
$ # Toggle present windows
qdbus org.kde.KWin /Effects togglePresentWindows
# Show desktop grid
qdbus org.kde.KWin /Effects showDesktopGrid
# Reconfigure after settings change
qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin reconfigure
qdbus org.kde.KWin /Effects togglePresentWindows
# Show desktop grid
qdbus org.kde.KWin /Effects showDesktopGrid
# Reconfigure after settings change
qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin reconfigure
INSTALL
sudo apt install kwin-x11
sudo dnf install kwin-x11
sudo pacman -S kwin-x11
CAVEATS
Wayland session has different capabilities than X11. Some effects require OpenGL. Scripting uses JavaScript.
HISTORY
KWin was originally written by Matthias Ettrich as part of KDE 1 in 1997. It has evolved significantly, adding compositing support in KDE 4 and Wayland support in Plasma 5.
SEE ALSO
plasmashell(1), systemsettings(1), qdbus(1)
