sxwm

Simple X11 Window Manager

Version: v1.5-release

Author: Abhinav Prasai (uint23)

License: MIT

Language: C

Minimal. Fast. Configurable. Tiling Window Manager for X11

A lightweight window manager designed for speed and productivity.

Tiling & Floating

Switch seamlessly between layouts

Workspaces

Fully integrated with your bar

Live Config Reload

Change config and reload instantly

Easy Configuration

Human-friendly sxwmrc file

Master-Stack Layout

DWM-inspired productive workflow

Zero Dependencies

Only X11, XCursors and Xinerama required

Community Rice Gallery

1 / 8
sxwm rice by uint23

Default Setup - uint23

Minimal gruvbox theme

WM: sxwm | Bar: polybar | Term: st

sxwm rice by uint23

Minimal Nord - uint23

Clean Nord colorscheme

WM: sxwm | Bar: polybar | Term: st

sxwm rice by uint23

Tokyo Night - uint23

Clean Tokyo Night setup

WM: sxwm | Bar: waybar | Term: kitty

sxwm rice by TheMeaner0

Lush Green Theme - TheMeaner0

Green with blur and rounded corners

WM: sxwm | Bar: sxbar (fork) | Term: st

sxwm rice by TheMeaner0

Serene Blue Theme - TheMeaner0

Blue theme with blur

WM: sxwm | Bar: sxbar (fork) | Term: st

Configuration

sxwm is configured via ~/.config/sxwmrc

Format: key : value (lines starting with # are ignored)

mod_key String super Primary modifier key
gaps Integer 10 Pixels between windows
border_width Integer 1 Border thickness
focused_border_colour Hex #c0cbff Focused window border
master_width Integer 60 Master window percentage

Default Keybindings

Window Management

MOD + j/k Focus next/previous
MOD + Shift + j/k Move in master stack
MOD + Space Toggle floating
MOD + f Fullscreen toggle
MOD + q Close window
MOD + 1-9 Switch workspace

Programs

MOD + Return Terminal (st)
MOD + b Browser (firefox)
MOD + p Launcher (dmenu_run)

Installation

Arch Linux (AUR)

yay -S sxwm

Build from Source

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/uint23/sxwm.git
cd sxwm/
make
sudo make clean install

Dependencies

Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install libx11-dev libxinerama-dev build-essential
Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S libx11 libxinerama gcc make
Fedora: sudo dnf install libX11-devel libXinerama-devel gcc make

Run sxwm

Add to your ~/.xinitrc:

exec sxwm

Thanks & Inspiration

  • dwm — Tiling & source code
  • i3 — Easy configuration
  • sowm — README inspiration
  • tinywm — Minimal X11 WM