🗓️ 01062026 1727

I3

i3 is a tiling window_manager for X11. Config lives at ~/.config/i3/config. All behaviour — keybindings, startup apps, workspace rules — is defined there.

Key Concepts​

  • $mod — modifier key, usually Mod4 (Super/Win) or Mod1 (Alt)
  • Container — every window sits in a container; containers tile inside workspaces
  • Layout — each container has a layout: splith, splitv, tabbed, stacking
  • Workspaces — numbered virtual desktops; windows assigned per workspace

Essential Keybindings (defaults)​

ActionBinding
Launch terminal$mod+Enter
Kill window$mod+Shift+q
Switch workspace$mod+1..9
Move window to workspace$mod+Shift+1..9
Toggle floating$mod+Shift+Space
Reload config$mod+Shift+r
Restart i3$mod+Shift+e → restart

Config Snippets​

Gaps (requires i3-gaps or i3 ≥ 4.22)​

gaps inner 10
gaps outer 5
smart_gaps on

Autostart​

exec --no-startup-id picom
exec --no-startup-id nm-applet
exec_always --no-startup-id ~/.config/polybar/launch.sh

exec runs once on login. exec_always runs on every config reload.

Assign apps to workspaces​

assign [class="Firefox"] 2
assign [class="Spotify"] 5
for_window [class="Pavucontrol"] floating enable

Borders​

default_border pixel 2
default_floating_border pixel 2
hide_edge_borders smart

References​