If you’re tired of traditional window managers and want something unique and customizable, then i3 Window Manager is a great option. This tutorial will guide you on how to install i3 Window Manager on Ubuntu 20.04 or Debian 11.
What is a Tiling Window Manager?
A tiling window manager is a window manager that arranges open windows in a non-overlapping way. Traditional window managers usually stack windows on top of each other, while tiling window managers arrange windows in a grid-like or mosaic-like pattern. i3 Window Manager is a popular tiling window manager that offers quick access and low resource utilization.
Main Features of i3 Window Manager:
- Low resource utilization (RAM and CPU) compared to other X Windows applications.
- You can switch your window to another workspace using $ mod + Shift + num where num is the number of that target workspace.
- You can split the terminal both vertically and horizontally to create multiple terminals.
- You can use the handy dmenu search option to search and open any application from the search window.
- Faster access and maneuverability.
- Use Xcb instead of the Xlib API library.
- It is much better compared to other tiling managers like bspwm and tilix.
Installing i3 Window Manager on Ubuntu 20.04
Step 1: Pre-Requisites
Make sure you have an Ubuntu 20.04 server running, apt tool installed, and sudo access to run privileged commands.
Step 2: Update Your Server
Update your Ubuntu machine with the latest updates using the sudo apt-get update command.
Step 3: Install i3 Window Manager
To install i3 Window Manager, use the command sudo apt-get install i3.This command installs i3 window manager and its dependencies.
Step 4: Check the Version of i3 Window Manager
To verify the i3 window manager, use the i3 –version command. As you can see from the output, the current version is 4.17.1.
Step 5: Configure i3 Window Manager on Ubuntu 20.04
Restart your server using the init 6 command and select the i3 option from the login screen. Follow the prompts to configure i3 Window Manager.
Step 6: Use i3 Window Manager on Ubuntu 20.04
Get started by using some keyboard shortcuts, such as Win + Enter to open a terminal, Win + f to enter full-screen mode, and Win + d to open a top menu where you can search for applications.
Step 7: Check the i3 Window Manager Manual Page
You can also refer to the i3 window manager manual page using the i3 man command.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on i3 Window Manager
1. How do I switch workspaces in i3 Window Manager?
You can switch workspaces in the i3 window manager using the shortcut keys “$ mod + shift + num,” where num is the number of that target workspace.
2. How do I customize i3 Window Manager?
You can customize i3 Window Manager by editing the i3 configuration file located at ~/.config/i3/config. This file contains all the settings and keybindings used by i3 Window Manager.
Final Remarks
We hope this tutorial on how to install i3 Window Manager on Ubuntu 20.04 or Debian 11 was helpful. If you have any questions regarding this topic, please feel free to ask us via the contact forum section. If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends and family to support us.
