A heavily customized build of dwm, focused on keyboard-driven window management, integrated scripts, DockApps, dynamic theming, and a WindowMaker-inspired desktop mode.
The configuration is designed to provide a complete desktop workflow while retaining dwm's lightweight and configurable architecture.
This build extends dwm with:
- Vanity gaps
- Multiple layouts
- Multi-monitor support
- Sticky windows
- Fullscreen handling
- Dynamic Xresources/pywal colours
- dwmblocks statusbar
- Automatic application rules
- Custom application keybinds
- Screenshot and recording utilities
- Audio and input switching
- Hardware brightness controls
- Integrated DockApps
- Custom startup services
- Emacs daemon integration
- MPD and audio-device status monitoring
- WindowMaker-inspired Maximalist Mode
The configuration is primarily controlled through config.h.
Mod refers to the Super/Windows key.
dwm is primarily operated through keyboard shortcuts. The most important controls are:
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + Enter |
Open kitty |
Mod + P |
Launch dmenu |
Mod + Q |
Close focused window |
Mod + J / K |
Navigate the window stack |
Mod + 1-9 |
Switch tags |
Mod + Space |
Promote focused window to master |
Mod + Shift + Space |
Toggle floating |
Mod + F |
Toggle fullscreen |
Mod + Shift + M |
Toggle Maximalist Mode |
dwm automatically arranges windows according to the active layout.
The default configuration uses a master/stack arrangement with:
55%master area factor1master window20pxinner horizontal gap20pxinner vertical gap20pxouter horizontal gap30pxouter vertical gap
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + H |
Decrease master area |
Mod + L |
Increase master area |
Mod + Shift + I |
Increase master window count |
Mod + Ctrl + I |
Decrease master window count |
Mod + Space |
Promote focused window to master |
Mod + Ctrl + Space |
Focus master window |
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + F |
Toggle fullscreen |
Mod + Shift + Space |
Toggle floating |
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + L |
Toggle sticky window |
This configuration provides nine tags.
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + 1-9 |
View tag |
Mod + Ctrl + 1-9 |
Toggle tag in current view |
Mod + Shift + 1-9 |
Move focused window to tag |
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + 1-9 |
Toggle focused window on tag |
Mod + 0 |
View all tags |
Mod + Shift + 0 |
Move focused window to all tags |
Mod + Tab |
Switch to previously viewed tag |
Vanity gaps are enabled by default.
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + G |
Decrease gaps by 3px |
Mod + Shift + G |
Increase gaps by 3px |
The default gap configuration is:
| Gap | Size |
|---|---|
| Inner horizontal | 20px |
| Inner vertical | 20px |
| Outer horizontal | 20px |
| Outer vertical | 30px |
Mod + Middle Click on a client resets the default gaps.
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + [ |
Focus next monitor |
Mod + ] |
Focus previous monitor |
Mod + Shift + [ |
Move window to next monitor |
Mod + Shift + ] |
Move window to previous monitor |
Maximalist Mode is a custom WindowMaker-inspired environment integrated directly into this dwm build.
It is intended to combine dwm's window management with the traditional floating desktop and DockApp workflow associated with WindowMaker.
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + Shift + M |
Toggle Maximalist Mode |
When enabled, dwm launches:
~/.config/scripts/wm-dock.sh
The script manages the DockApp environment.
DockApps receive dedicated window rules that can provide:
- Floating behaviour
- Sticky behaviour
- Always-below behaviour
- Focus exclusion
- Fullscreen exclusion
- Maximalist-mode exclusion
- Persistent positioning
Configured DockApps include:
wmbatterieswmcpuloadwmmemloadwmnetloadwmclockmonwmtzwmweather+wminfowmailWMmp
This allows Maximalist Mode to function as a WindowMaker-style desktop environment while retaining dwm as the underlying window manager.
The build contains the following layouts:
| Layout | Function |
|---|---|
| Tile | Standard tiled layout |
| Floating | Floating layout |
| Monocle | Single-window fullscreen layout |
| Spiral | Spiral tiling |
| Dwindle | Dwindle tiling |
The direct layout-switching keybinds are currently disabled in config.h.
| Keybind | Application / Function |
|---|---|
Mod + M |
Custom music player |
Mod + B |
Helium browser |
Mod + D |
Vesktop |
Mod + E |
Emacs client |
Mod + Shift + E |
Large floating Emacs client |
Mod + Ctrl + E |
Emacs Everywhere |
Mod + Shift + B |
btop in kitty |
Mod + C |
Calendar checker |
Mod + Shift + F |
Nautilus |
Mod + Shift + R |
Screen recording |
Mod + Shift + W |
Wallpaper picker |
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + W |
OnlyOffice |
Mod + T |
Toggle kitty transparency |
Mod + Shift + T |
Toggle trackpad |
Mod + Ctrl + J |
Camera preview |
Mod + Right Shift |
Power menu |
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + O |
Switch audio output |
Mod + I |
Switch audio input |
Volume Mute |
Toggle output mute |
Volume Down |
Decrease volume by 5% |
Volume Up |
Increase volume by 5% |
Mic Mute |
Toggle microphone mute |
Audio changes trigger a dwmblocks refresh.
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + Shift + S |
Full screenshot |
Mod + Ctrl + S |
Selection screenshot |
Mod + F2 |
Screenshot |
Mod + Shift + R |
Toggle screen recording |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Brightness Up |
Increase brightness by 1% |
Brightness Down |
Decrease brightness by 1% |
The build uses dwmblocks for the statusbar.
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + Ctrl + B |
Toggle top bar |
Mod + Ctrl + T |
Toggle dwmblocks status text |
Mod + Ctrl + X |
Reload Xresources colours |
The colour scheme can be restored dynamically through the configured pywal/Xresources integration.
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mail |
Open Gmail |
Mod + F9 |
Open Gmail |
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + Left Click |
Move client |
Mod + Middle Click |
Reset gaps |
Mod + Right Click |
Resize client |
Middle Click on window title |
Promote client |
Middle Click on root window |
Toggle bar |
Left Click on tag |
View tag |
Right Click on tag |
Toggle tag |
Mod + Left Click on tag |
Move client to tag |
Mod + Right Click on tag |
Toggle client on tag |
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + BackSpace |
Lock screen |
Mod + Shift + BackSpace |
Exit dwm |
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + Q |
Restart/refresh dwm |
The configuration automatically starts and manages the following components:
- pywal colour restoration
- Wallpaper restoration
- picom
- dwmblocks
- Theme restoration
- numlock
- Dark mode
- dunst
- Battery monitoring
- Emacs daemon
- MPD player monitoring
- Audio-device monitoring
- Microphone monitoring
- XDG desktop portal
This allows the desktop session to be restored automatically when dwm starts.
Applications can be assigned specific behaviour through the rules[] section of config.h.
Rules can control properties such as:
- Floating state
- Monitor assignment
- Sticky state
- Focus behaviour
- Fullscreen behaviour
- Border behaviour
- Maximalist Mode behaviour
- DockApp behaviour
This build contains dedicated rules for its custom applications, utilities, media applications, Emacs windows, and DockApps.
dwm is configured primarily through config.h.
The configuration contains:
- Appearance settings
- Fonts
- Colours
- Tags
- Layouts
- Keybinds
- Mouse bindings
- Application commands
- Window rules
- Startup applications
- Maximalist Mode configuration
Changes to config.h require rebuilding dwm. (doing "sudo make clean install")
The custom refresh keybind is:
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + Q
| Keybind | Action |
|---|---|
Mod + Enter |
Terminal |
Mod + P |
dmenu |
Mod + Q |
Kill focused window |
Mod + Shift + Q |
Kill unfocused windows |
Mod + J / K |
Navigate windows |
Mod + Shift + J / K |
Move windows in stack |
Mod + Tab |
Previous tag view |
Mod + 1-9 |
Switch tag |
Mod + Shift + 1-9 |
Move window to tag |
Mod + Ctrl + 1-9 |
Toggle tag |
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + 1-9 |
Toggle window on tag |
Mod + 0 |
View all tags |
Mod + Shift + 0 |
Move window to all tags |
Mod + H / L |
Master area size |
Mod + Shift + I |
Increase master count |
Mod + Ctrl + I |
Decrease master count |
Mod + Space |
Promote to master |
Mod + Ctrl + Space |
Focus master |
Mod + Shift + Space |
Toggle floating |
Mod + F |
Fullscreen |
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + L |
Sticky window |
Mod + G |
Decrease gaps |
Mod + Shift + G |
Increase gaps |
Mod + [ / ] |
Change monitor |
Mod + Shift + [ / ] |
Move window between monitors |
Mod + Shift + M |
Maximalist Mode |
Mod + Ctrl + B |
Toggle bar |
Mod + Ctrl + T |
Toggle status text |
Mod + Ctrl + X |
Reload colours |
Mod + BackSpace |
Lock screen |
Mod + Shift + BackSpace |
Exit dwm |
Mod + Ctrl + Shift + Q |
Restart/refresh dwm |
External files mentioned in config.h will be all placed in a folder called CONFIG This file will mimic my $HOME directory, for ease of acces to the files and no need to look into other dotfiles