i3 Window Manager Cheatsheet - Tiling Window Management Guide

Master the i3 window manager with this comprehensive cheatsheet. Learn essential commands for tiling, window manipulation, and workspace management.

i3 Window Manager Cheatsheet

This cheatsheet provides essential keyboard shortcuts and commands for the i3 window manager, a popular tiling window manager for Linux. i3 is designed for efficiency and speed, allowing users to manage windows and workspaces with minimal mouse interaction.

Core i3 Window Management Commands

These commands are fundamental for navigating and manipulating windows within the i3 environment.

[main]
name=i3
desc=Tiling dem windows
[cheats]
Open a terminal = $mod + <ENTER>
Open dmenu = $mod + d
Exit i3 = $mod + Shift + e
Restart i3 in place = $mod + Shift + r
Reload config file = $mod + Shift + c
Kill window = $mod + Shift + q

Layout and Window Arrangement

Control how your windows are arranged on the screen using these layout commands.

Tabbed layout = $mod + w
Vertical and Horizontal = $mod + e
Stacked layout = $mod + s
Fullscreen = $mod + f
Split window vertically = $mod + v
Split window horizontally = $mod + h
Toggle resize mode = $mod + r

Workspace Navigation and Management

Efficiently switch between and move windows to different workspaces.

Switch workplace = $mod + 0-9
move window to workplace = $mod + Shift + 0-9

Focus and Movement

Navigate between windows and move them using keyboard shortcuts.

Move window = $mod + Shift + <DIRECTION-KEY>
Focus on window to the left = $mod + j
Focus on window above =  $mod + k
Focus on window below = $mod + l
Focus on window to the right = $mod + ;
Move window left = $mod + Shift + j
Move window up = $mod + Shift + k
Move window down = $mod + Shift +l
Move window right  = $mod + Shift +;

Further Resources

For more in-depth information and advanced configurations, refer to the official i3 documentation: