Dokumentation

A window manager manages windows on the screen. For example, it determines:

where windows appear
how windows can be moved and resized
whether windows overlap
how windows are arranged on the screen
which keyboard shortcuts are available
how multiple virtual desktops work

The window manager is therefore responsible for the behavior and arrangement of windows.

Two Basic Types

Floating Window Managers

Windows can be moved freely and resized. This is the type of interface commonly used with Windows and macOS.

Mutter in GNOME
KWin in KDE Plasma
Xfwm in Xfce
Openbox
i3 in floating mode

Tiling Window Managers

Windows are automatically arranged next to or below one another. This reduces the need to use the mouse.

i3
Sway
Hyprland
dwm
awesome

A tiling window manager can be especially useful when working with multiple terminals, editors, or documents at the same time.

Window Managers and Compositors

With X11, the term window manager is usually used. Under Wayland, a so-called compositor often performs additional tasks.

arranges windows
draws windows on the screen
manages transparency and animations
processes input
communicates with the graphics system

Many Wayland compositors are also standalone window managers. Examples include:

Mutter – GNOME
KWin – KDE Plasma
Mutter and other compositors – Used in various desktop environments
Sway – Wayland alternative to i3
Hyprland – Dynamic tiling compositor

Desktop Environments and Window Managers Compared

Term	Responsibility	Example
File system	Stores and organizes files	ext4, Btrfs
File manager	Provides access to files and folders	Dolphin, Nautilus
Desktop environment	Provides a complete graphical working environment	GNOME, KDE Plasma
Window manager	Manages the position and behavior of windows	i3, Openbox, KWin
Display server or compositor	Connects applications with the screen and input devices	X11, Wayland, Sway

A complete Linux interface could look like this:

Linux distribution: Fedora
Desktop environment: GNOME
Window manager/compositor: Mutter
Display system: Wayland
File manager: Files
Terminal: GNOME Terminal

Linux distribution: Arch Linux
Desktop environment: no complete DE
Window manager: i3
Display system: X11
File manager: Thunar
Terminal: Alacritty

Key Point

The file system organizes data on the storage device. The file manager provides access to this data. The desktop environment provides the graphical working environment, while the window manager manages the individual windows.