Provided by: spectrwm_3.5.1-1ubuntu2_amd64 
NAME
spectrwm — window manager for X11
SYNOPSIS
spectrwm [-c file] [-v]
OPTIONS
-c file
Specify a configuration file to load instead of scanning for one.
-d Enable debug mode and logging to stderr.
-v Print version and exit.
DESCRIPTION
spectrwm is a minimalistic window manager that tries to stay out of the way so that valuable screen real
estate can be used for much more important stuff. It has sane defaults and does not require one to learn
a language to do any configuration. It was written by hackers for hackers and it strives to be small,
compact and fast.
When spectrwm starts up, it reads settings from its configuration file, spectrwm.conf. See the
“CONFIGURATION FILES” section below.
The following notation is used throughout this page:
M Meta
S Shift
⟨Name⟩ Named key or button
spectrwm is very simple in its use. Most of the actions are initiated via key or pointer button
bindings. See the “BINDINGS” section below for defaults and customizations.
CONFIGURATION FILES
spectrwm looks for the user-configuration file in the following order:
1. $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/spectrwm/spectrwm.conf
2. ~/.config/spectrwm/spectrwm.conf (if $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is either not set or empty)
3. ~/.spectrwm.conf.
If the user-configuration file is not found, spectrwm then looks for the global configuration file in the
following order:
1. $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/spectrwm/spectrwm.conf (each colon-separated directory in $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS)
2. /etc/xdg/spectrwm/spectrwm.conf (if $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS is either not set or empty)
3. /etc/spectrwm.conf
The format of the file is
keyword = setting
For example:
color_focus = red
Enabling or disabling an option is done by using 1 or 0 respectively.
Colors need to be specified per the XQueryColor(3) specification. In addition, alpha transparency may be
specified via the format rbga:red/green/blue/alpha (8-bit hex values) For example, to specify a 50%
transparent blue status bar background:
bar_color = rgba:00/00/ff/7f
Note that a compositing manager is required for alpha transparency.
Mark option values may be wrapped in single/double quotes to prevent whitespace trimming, specify empty
strings, etc. Literal quote/backslash characters can be escaped with a backslash ‘\’, when needed.
Comments begin with a #. When a literal ‘#’ is desired in an option, then it must be escaped with a
backslash, i.e. \#
The file supports the following keywords:
autorun
Launch an application in a specified workspace at start-of-day. Defined in the format
ws[idx]:application, e.g. ws[2]:xterm launches an xterm(1) in workspace 2. Specify ‘ws[-1]’ to
launch applications such as desktop managers and panels in free mode to keep them always mapped.
Note that libswmhack.so is required for "spawn-in-workspace" behavior. See the “SWMHACK” section
below for more information, tips, and workarounds if a program fails to spawn in the specified
workspace.
bar_action
External script that populates additional information in the status bar, such as battery life.
bar_action_expand
Process bar_format character sequences in bar_action output; default is 0.
bar_at_bottom
Place the statusbar at the bottom of each region instead of the top. Default is 0.
bar_border[x]
Border color of status bar(s) on screen number x. Default is rgb:00/80/80.
bar_border_free[x]
Border color of a status bar for a focused region on screen number x when a workspace-free window is
focused. Default is rgb:80/80/00.
bar_border_unfocus[x]
Border color of status bar(s) for unfocused region(s) on screen number x. Default is rgb:00/40/40.
bar_border_width
Set status bar border thickness in pixels. Disable border by setting to 0.
bar_color[x]
Background color of status bar(s) on screen number x.
A comma separated list of up to 10 colors can be specified. The first value is used as the default
background color. Any of these colors can then be selected as a background color in the status bar
through the use of the markup sequence +@bg=n; where n is between 0 and 9.
bar_color_free[x]
Background color of a status bar for a focused region on screen number x when a workspace-free window
is focused.
A comma separated list of up to 10 colors can be specified, with the same syntax and behavior as
bar_color. Default is rgb:40/40/00.
bar_color_selected[x]
Background color for selected menu items on screen number x. Defaults to the value of bar_border.
bar_color_unfocus[x]
Background color of status bar(s) for unfocused region(s) on screen number x.
A comma separated list of up to 10 colors can be specified, with the same syntax and behavior as
bar_color for unfocused bar(s). Defaults to the value of bar_color.
bar_enabled
Set default bar_toggle state; default is 1.
bar_enabled_ws[x]
Set default bar_toggle_ws state on workspace x; default is 1.
bar_font
Fonts used in the status bar. Either Xft or X Logical Font Description (XLFD) may be used to specify
fonts. Fallback fonts may be specified by separating each font with a comma. If all entries are in
XLFD syntax, font set will be used. If at least one entry is Xft, Xft will be used.
The default is to use font set.
If Xft is used, a comma-separated list of up to 10 fonts can be specified. The first entry is the
default font. Any font defined here can then be selected in the status bar through the use of the
markup sequence +@fn=n; where n is between 0 and 9.
Also note that dmenu(1) prior to 4.6 does not support Xft fonts.
Xft examples:
bar_font = Terminus:style=Regular:pixelsize=14:antialias=true
bar_font = -*-profont-medium-*-*-*-11-*-*-*-*-*-*-*,Terminus:pixelsize=14,-*-clean-medium-*-*-*-12-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Font set examples:
bar_font = -*-terminus-medium-*-*-*-14-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
bar_font = -*-profont-medium-*-*-*-11-*-*-*-*-*-*-*,-*-terminus-medium-*-*-*-14-*-*-*-*-*-*-*,-*-clean-medium-*-*-*-12-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
To list the available fonts in your system see fc-list(1) or xlsfonts(1) manpages. The xfontsel(1)
application can help with the XLFD setting.
bar_font_color[x]
Foreground color of the status bar(s) on screen number x.
A comma separated list of up to 10 colors can be specified. The first value is used as the default
foreground color. Any of these colors can then be selected as a foreground color in the status bar
through the use of the markup sequence +@fg=n; where n is between 0 and 9.
bar_font_color_unfocus[x]
Foreground color of status bar(s) for unfocused region(s) on screen number x.
A comma separated list of up to 10 colors can be specified, with the same syntax and behavior as
bar_font_color for unfocused bar(s). Defaults to the value of bar_font_color.
bar_font_color_selected[x]
Foreground color for selected menu items on screen number x. Defaults to the value of bar_color.
bar_font_pua
Specify a font to override the Unicode Private Use Area code points (U+E000 -> U+F8FF, U+F0000 ->
U+FFFFD, U+100000 -> U+10FFFD). Some fonts use these code points to provide special icon glyphs.
Available only with Xft fonts.
bar_format
Set the bar format string, overriding clock_format and all of the enabled options. The format is
passed through strftime(3) before being used. It may contain the following character sequences:
Character sequence Replaced with
+< Pad with a space
+A Output of the external script
+C Window class (from WM_CLASS)
+D Workspace name
+F Focus status indicator
+I Workspace index
+L Workspace list indicator
+M Number of iconic (minimized) windows in workspace
+N Screen number
+P Window class and instance separated by a colon
+R Region index
+S Stacking algorithm
+T Window instance (from WM_CLASS)
+U Urgency hint
+V Program version
+w Number of windows in workspace
+W Window name (from _NET_WM_NAME/WM_NAME)
+|[weight][justify] Begin new section and reset markup sequence effects.
weight is a positive integer used to allocate horizontal
space between 'L', 'C' and 'R' sections (see justify).
The default weight is 1.
justify can have the value L, C, R or T. L, C, R are for
left, center and right justified sections respectively.
A 'T' section will limit its space usage to fit to the
text. If no value is specified for a given section, the
setting from bar_justify is used.
++ A literal ‘+’
+@ Prefix for text markup sequences
The currently recognized text markup sequences are:
Character sequence Action
+@fn=n; Selects font n (from 0 to 9) from bar_font.
+@fg=n; Selects foreground color n (from 0 to 9) from bar_font_color.
+@bg=n; Selects background color n (from 0 to 9) from bar_color.
+@stp; Stops the interpretation of markup sequences. Any markup sequence found
after +@stp will appear as normal characters in the status bar.
Note that markup sequences in bar_action script output will only be processed if bar_action_expand is
enabled.
All character sequences may limit its output to a specific length, for example +64A. By default, no
padding/alignment is done in case the length of the replaced string is less than the specified length
(64 in the example). The padding/alignment can be enabled using a '_' character in the sequence.
For example: +_64W, +64_W and +_64_W enable padding before (right alignment), after (left alignment),
and both before and after (center alignment) window name, respectively. Any characters that do not
match the specification are copied as-is.
bar_justify
Justify the status bar text. Possible values are left, center, and right.
Note that if the output is not left justified, it may not be properly aligned in some circumstances,
due to the white-spaces in the default static format. See the bar_format option for more details.
bind[x]
Bind key or button combo to action x. See the “BINDINGS” section below.
border_width
Set window border thickness in pixels. Disable all borders by setting to 0.
boundary_width
Set region containment boundary width in pixels. This is how far a window must be dragged/resized
(with the pointer) beyond the region edge before it is allowed outside the region. Disable the
window containment effect by setting to 0.
cancelkey
Change the key used as an alternative means of terminating move/resize operations. Default is
Escape.
See the “BINDINGS” section below for details on how to find key names.
click_to_raise
Enable or disable raising stacking priority when clicking on a window. Default is 1.
clock_enabled
Enable or disable displaying the clock in the status bar. Disable by setting to 0 so a custom clock
could be used in the bar_action script.
color_focus_free
Border color of the currently focused window that is in free mode. Default is yellow.
color_focus_maximized_free
Border color of the currently focused maximized window that is in free mode. Defaults to the value
of color_focus_free.
color_unfocus_free
Border color of unfocused windows that are in free mode, default is rgb:88/88/00.
color_unfocus_maximized_free
Border color of unfocused maximized windows that are in free mode. Defaults to the value of
color_unfocus_free.
color_focus
Border color of the currently focused window. Default is red.
color_focus_maximized
Border color of the currently focused, maximized window. Defaults to the value of color_focus.
color_unfocus
Border color of unfocused windows, default is rgb:88/88/88.
color_unfocus_maximized
Border color of unfocused, maximized windows. Defaults to the value of color_unfocus.
cycle_visible
Include workspaces that are mapped when switching with ws_next, ws_prev, ws_next_all, ws_prev_all,
ws_next_move, or ws_prev_move. Enable by setting to 1.
Note that mapped workspaces will be swapped unless workspace_clamp is enabled. If warp_focus is also
enabled, focus will go to the region where the workspace is mapped.
dialog_ratio
Some applications have dialogue windows that are too small to be useful. This ratio adjusts the
window/region size ratio for transient windows having the TRANSSZ quirk. For example, 0.6 is 60% of
the the monitor size if the current region spans the monitor.
disable_border
Remove border when bar is disabled and there is only one window on the region. Enable by setting to
1. Setting this to always removes the border regardless of the bar being enabled/disabled. Defaults
to 0.
focus_close
Window to put focus when the focused window is closed. Possible values are first, next, previous
(default), last and prior. next and previous are relative to the window that is closed. prior is
the last focused window in the workspace.
focus_close_wrap
Whether to allow the focus to jump to the last window when the first window is closed or vice versa.
Disable by setting to 0.
focus_default
Window to put focus when no window has been focused. Possible values are first and last (default).
focus_mark_none
Set the bar_format focus status indicator (+F) string to substitute when no window is focused.
Default is ''.
focus_mark_normal
Set the bar_format focus status indicator (+F) string to substitute when a normal (not floating,
maximized or free) window is focused. Default is ''.
focus_mark_floating
Set the bar_format focus status indicator (+F) string to substitute when a floating window is
focused. Default is '(f)'.
focus_mark_free
Set the bar_format focus status indicator (+F) string to substitute when a window that is in free
mode is focused. Default is '(*)'.
focus_mark_maximized
Set the bar_format focus status indicator (+F) string to substitute when a maximized window is
focused. Default is '(m)'.
focus_mode
Window focus behavior with respect to the pointer. Possible values:
default Set window focus on border crossings caused by cursor motion and window interaction.
follow Set window focus on all cursor border crossings, including workspace switches and
changes to layout.
manual Set window focus on window interaction only.
fullscreen_hide_other
When a fullscreen window is focused and not in below state, hide unrelated windows in the same
workspace. Useful for transparent windows. Defaults to 0.
fullscreen_unfocus
Set handling when a fullscreen window loses focus. Possible values:
none Leave window fullscreen. (default)
restore Exit fullscreen.
iconify Minimize/hide the window.
float Exit fullscreen and float window.
below Set below state on the window.
quick_below Set below state on the window, unset when refocused.
Note that this option is ignored in max layout.
iconic_enabled
Display the number of iconic (minimized) windows in the status bar. Enable by setting to 1.
keyboard_mapping
Clear all key bindings (not button bindings) and load new bindings from the specified file. This
allows you to load pre-defined key bindings for your keyboard layout. See the “KEYBOARD MAPPING
FILES” section below for a list of keyboard mapping files that have been provided for several
keyboard layouts.
Note that /dev/null can be specified if you only want to clear bindings.
layout
Select layout to use at start-of-day. Defined in the format
ws[idx]:master_grow:master_add:stack_inc:always_raise:stack_mode, e.g. ws[2]:-4:0:1:0:horizontal sets
workspace 2 to the horizontal stack mode, shrinks the master area by 4 ticks and adds one window to
the stack, while maintaining default floating window behavior. Possible stack_mode values are
vertical, vertical_flip, horizontal, horizontal_flip, max and floating.
See master_grow, master_shrink, master_add, master_del, stack_inc, stack_dec, stack_balance, and
always_raise for more information. Note that the stacking options are complicated and have side-
effects. One should familiarize oneself with these commands before experimenting with the layout
option.
This setting is not retained at restart.
max_layout_maximize
Automatically maximize windows in max layout. Note that automatic maximize behavior is disabled for
windows that are unmaximized in max layout. Maximizing the window or resetting the layout with
stack_reset enables it again. Enabled by default. Disable by setting to 0.
maximize_hide_bar
When set to 1, maximize_toggle will also hide/restore the bar visibility of the affected workspace.
Defaults to 0.
maximize_hide_other
When a maximized window is focused and not in below state, hide unrelated windows in the same
workspace. Useful for transparent windows. Defaults to 0.
maximized_unfocus
Set handling when a maximized window loses focus. Possible values:
none Leave window maximized.
restore Unmaximize window. (default)
iconify Minimize/hide the window.
float Unmaximize and float window.
below Set below state on the window.
quick_below Set below state on the window, unset when refocused.
Note that this option is ignored in max layout.
modkey
Change the current modifier value of MOD in bind entries that come later in the configuration file.
For existing bindings, the new value is substituted for the previous value. Possible values are Mod1
(default), Mod2, Mod3, Mod4 and Mod5.
Mod1 is generally the Alt key, Mod2 is the Command key on macOS and Mod4 is the Windows key on a PC.
The current modifier key mapping can be found by running xmodmap(1).
name
Set the name of a workspace at start-of-day. Defined in the format ws[idx]:name, e.g. ws[1]:Console
sets the name of workspace 1 to “Console”.
program[p]
Define new action to spawn a program p. See the “PROGRAMS” section below.
quirk[c[:i[:n]]]
Add "quirk" for windows with class c, instance i (optional) and name n (optional). See the “QUIRKS”
section below.
region
Allocates a custom region, removing any autodetected regions that occupy the same space on the
specified logical X screen number. Defined in the format screen[idx]:widthxheight+x+y[,rotation],
e.g. screen[1]:800x1200+0+0 or screen[1]:800x1200+0+0,inverted (with optional rotation).
To make a region span multiple monitors, create a region big enough to cover them all, e.g.
screen[1]:2048x768+0+0 makes the region span two monitors with 1024x768 resolution sitting one next
to the other.
Possible values for the optional rotation argument are normal (default), left, inverted and right.
Note that rotation is used by workspace_autorotate.
region_padding
Pixel width of empty space within region borders. Disable by setting to 0.
snap_range
Set the distance in pixels a tiled/maximized window must be moved (with the pointer) to unsnap and
float freely. Set to 0 to unsnap immediately. Default is 25.
spawn_position
Position in stack to place newly spawned windows. Possible values are first, next, previous and last
(default). next and previous are relative to the focused window.
stack_enabled
Enable or disable displaying the current stacking algorithm in the status bar.
stack_mark_floating
Set the floating layout mark for the bar_format stacking indicator (+S). Default is '[~]'.
stack_mark_horizontal
Set the horizontal layout mark for the bar_format stacking indicator (+S). Default is '[-]'.
stack_mark_horizontal_flip
Set the horizontal_flip layout mark for the bar_format stacking indicator (+S). Default is '[v]'.
stack_mark_max
Set the max layout mark for the bar_format stacking indicator (+S). Default is '[ ]'.
stack_mark_vertical
Set the vertical layout mark for the bar_format stacking indicator (+S). Default is '[|]'.
stack_mark_vertical_flip
Set the vertical_flip layout mark for the bar_format stacking indicator (+S). Default is '[>]'.
term_width
Set a preferred minimum width for the terminal. If this value is greater than 0, spectrwm will
attempt to adjust the font sizes in the terminal to keep the terminal width above this number as the
window is resized. Only xterm(1) is currently supported. The xterm(1) binary must not be setuid or
setgid, which it is by default on most systems. Users may need to set program[term] (see the
“PROGRAMS” section) to use an alternate copy of the xterm(1) binary without the setgid bit set.
tile_gap
Pixel width of empty space between tiled windows. Negative values cause overlap. Set this to the
opposite of border_width to collapse the border between tiles. Disable by setting to 0.
urgent_collapse
Minimizes the space consumed by the urgency hint indicator by removing the placeholders for non-
urgent workspaces, the trailing space when there are urgent windows and the default leading space.
Enable by setting to 1.
urgent_enabled
Enable or disable the urgency hint indicator in the status bar. Note that many terminal emulators
require an explicit setting for the bell character to trigger urgency on the window. In xterm(1),
for example, one needs to add the following line to .Xdefaults:
xterm.bellIsUrgent: true
verbose_layout
Enable or disable displaying the current master window count and stack column/row count in the status
bar. Enable by setting to 1. See master_add, master_del, stack_inc and stack_dec for more
information.
warp_focus
Focus on the target window/workspace/region when clamped. For example, when attempting to switch to
a workspace that is mapped on another region and workspace_clamp is enabled, focus on the region with
the target workspace. Enable by setting to 1.
warp_pointer
Centers the pointer on the focused window when using bindings to change focus, switch workspaces,
change regions, etc. Enable by setting to 1.
window_class_enabled
Enable or disable displaying the window class name (from WM_CLASS) in the status bar. Enable by
setting to 1.
window_instance_enabled
Enable or disable displaying the window instance name (from WM_CLASS) in the status bar. Enable by
setting to 1.
window_name_enabled
Enable or disable displaying the window display name (from _NET_WM_NAME/WM_NAME) in the status bar.
Enable by setting to 1.
To prevent excessively large window names from pushing the remaining text off the bar, it is limited
to 64 characters, by default. See the bar_format option for more details.
workspace_autorotate
When moving workspaces across regions, auto-rotate vertical/horizontal layouts based on rotation data
from xrandr(1). Enable by setting to 1.
workspace_clamp
Prevents workspaces from being swapped when attempting to switch to a workspace that is mapped to
another region. Use warp_focus if you want to focus on the region containing the workspace and
warp_pointer if you want to also send the pointer. Enable by setting to 1.
workspace_indicator
Configure the status bar workspace indicator. One or more of the following options may be specified
in a comma-separated list:
listcurrent Include the current workspace.
listactive Include workspaces with windows.
listempty Include empty workspaces.
listnamed Include named workspaces.
listurgent Include workspaces with urgent window(s).
listall Include all workspaces.
hidecurrent Always exclude the current workspace from the list.
markcurrent Indicate the current workspace if it is in the list.
markactive Indicate workspaces in the list that are active.
markempty Indicate workspaces in the list that are empty.
markurgent Indicate workspaces in the list that contain urgent window(s).
printnames Display the names of named workspaces in the list.
noindexes Hide the index of the workspaces.
The default is listcurrent,listactive,markcurrent,printnames
Note that markup sequences can be used to style the workspace indicator. For example, to change the
color of the current workspace:
workspace_mark_current = '+@fg=1;'
workspace_mark_current_suffix = '+@fg=0;'
workspace_limit
Set the total number of workspaces available. Minimum is 1, maximum is 22, default is 10.
workspace_mark_active
Set the string inserted before active workspaces in the workspace_indicator. Default is '^'.
workspace_mark_active_suffix
Set the string inserted after active workspaces in the workspace_indicator. Default is '' (empty
string).
workspace_mark_current
Set the string inserted before the current workspace in the workspace_indicator. Default is '*'.
workspace_mark_current_suffix
Set the string inserted after the current workspace in the workspace_indicator. Default is '' (empty
string).
workspace_mark_empty
Set the string inserted before empty workspaces in the workspace_indicator. Default is '-'.
workspace_mark_empty_suffix
Set the string inserted after empty workspaces in the workspace_indicator. Default is '' (empty
string).
workspace_mark_urgent
Set the string inserted before urgent workspaces in the workspace_indicator. Default is '!'.
workspace_mark_urgent_suffix
Set the string inserted after urgent workspaces in the workspace_indicator. Default is '' (empty
string).
STACK MODES
vertical Master area is on the left and stack area is on the right. Additional windows are
vertically tiled in stack area.
vertical flipped Same as above but stack and master areas are swapped.
horizontal Master area is on the top and stack area is on the bottom. Additional windows are
horizontally tiled in stack area.
horizontal flipped Same as above but stack and master areas are swapped.
max The focused window occupies the whole region, except for the bar (if enabled).
floating Windows are untiled and can be resized and positioned.
WINDOW STATES
These can be set/unset by the corresponding toggle actions listed in the “BINDINGS” section below.
floating The window is stacked above others and is not in a tile; it may be freely resized and
positioned.
below The window is floating, but stacked below others.
maximized The window occupies the work area of the region (area that excludes space reserved by the
bar, docks/panels, etc.) By default, focusing another window removes the maximized state of
the window. See maximized_unfocus to configure unfocused behavior.
fullscreen The window occupies the whole region. By default, focusing another window does not remove
the fullscreen state of the window. See fullscreen_unfocus to configure unfocused behavior.
free The window is floating, but not bound by regions, workspaces or their layouts. It is always
mapped, unless iconified, and may be resized and positioned anywhere.
PROGRAMS
spectrwm allows you to define custom actions to launch programs of your choice and then bind them the
same as with built-in actions. See the “BINDINGS” section below.
Custom programs in the configuration file are specified as follows:
program[action] = progpath [arg [arg ...]]
action is any identifier that does not conflict with a built-in action or keyword, progpath is the
desired program, and arg is zero or more arguments to the program.
With the exception of '~' expansion, program calls are executed as-is without any interpretation. A
shell can be called to execute shell commands. (e.g. sh -c 'command string').
Remember that when using ‘#’ in your program call, it must be escaped with a backslash, i.e. \#
The following argument variables are replaced with values at the time the program is spawned:
$bar_border
$bar_color
$bar_color_selected
$bar_font
$bar_font_color
$bar_font_color_selected
$color_focus
$color_unfocus
$dmenu_bottom -b if bar_at_bottom is enabled.
$region_index
$workspace_index
Example:
program[ff] = /usr/local/bin/firefox http://spectrwm.org/
bind[ff] = MOD+Shift+b # Now M-S-b launches firefox
To cancel the previous, unbind it:
bind[] = MOD+Shift+b
Default programs:
term x-terminal-emulator
lock slock
menu dmenu_run $dmenu_bottom -fn $bar_font -nb $bar_color -nf $bar_font_color -sb
$bar_color_selected -sf $bar_font_color_selected
search dmenu $dmenu_bottom -i -fn $bar_font -nb $bar_color -nf $bar_font_color -sb
$bar_color_selected -sf $bar_font_color_selected
name_workspace dmenu $dmenu_bottom -p Workspace -fn $bar_font -nb $bar_color -nf $bar_font_color
-sb $bar_color_selected -sf $bar_font_color_selected
initscr initscreen.sh # optional
screenshot_all screenshot.sh full # optional
screenshot_wind screenshot.sh window # optional
Note that optional default programs will not be validated unless overridden. If a default program fails
validation, you can resolve the exception by installing the program, modifying the program call or
disabling the program by freeing the respective binding.
For example, to override lock:
program[lock] = xscreensaver-command -lock
To unbind lock and prevent it from being validated:
bind[] = MOD+Shift+Delete
Note that when a program is spawned, spectrwm aims to place its windows in its spawn workspace. See the
“SWMHACK” section below for more information, tips, and workarounds if a program fails to spawn in the
correct workspace.
BINDINGS
spectrwm provides many functions (or actions) accessed via key or pointer button bindings.
The default bindings are listed below:
⟨Button1⟩ focus
M-⟨Button1⟩ move
M-⟨Button3⟩ resize
M-S-⟨Button3⟩ resize_centered
M-S-⟨Return⟩ term
M-p menu
M-S-q quit
M-q restart
⟨unbound⟩ restart_of_day
M-⟨Space⟩ cycle_layout
M-S-\ flip_layout
⟨unbound⟩ prior_layout
⟨unbound⟩ layout_vertical
⟨unbound⟩ layout_horizontal
⟨unbound⟩ layout_max
⟨unbound⟩ layout_floating
M-S-⟨Space⟩ stack_reset
⟨unbound⟩ stack_balance
M-h master_shrink
M-l master_grow
M-, master_add
M-. master_del
M-S-, stack_inc
M-S-. stack_dec
M-⟨Return⟩ swap_main
M-j, M-⟨TAB⟩ focus_next
M-k, M-S-⟨TAB⟩ focus_prev
M-m focus_main
M-` focus_free
M-S-a focus_prior
M-u focus_urgent
M-S-j swap_next
M-S-k swap_prev
M-b bar_toggle
M-S-b bar_toggle_ws
M-x wind_del
M-S-x wind_kill
M-⟨1-9,0,F1-F12⟩ ws_⟨1-22⟩
M-S-⟨1-9,0,F1-F12⟩ mvws_⟨1-22⟩
M-⟨Keypad 1-9⟩ rg_⟨1-9⟩
M-S-⟨Keypad 1-9⟩ mvrg_⟨1-9⟩
⟨unbound⟩ mvrg_next
⟨unbound⟩ mvrg_prev
⟨unbound⟩ ws_empty
⟨unbound⟩ ws_empty_move
M-⟨Right⟩ ws_next
M-⟨Left⟩ ws_prev
M-⟨Up⟩ ws_next_all
M-⟨Down⟩ ws_prev_all
M-a ws_prior
M-S-⟨Down⟩ ws_prev_move
M-S-⟨Up⟩ ws_next_move
M-S-⟨Right⟩ rg_next
M-S-⟨Left⟩ rg_prev
⟨unbound⟩ rg_move_next
⟨unbound⟩ rg_move_prev
M-s screenshot_all
M-S-s screenshot_wind
M-S-v version
M-t float_toggle
M-S-t below_toggle
M-S-` free_toggle
M-S-⟨Delete⟩ lock
M-S-i initscr
M-w iconify
M-S-w uniconify
M-e maximize_toggle
M-S-e fullscreen_toggle
M-r raise
M-S-r always_raise
M-v button2
M-- width_shrink
M-= width_grow
M-S-- height_shrink
M-S-= height_grow
M-[ move_left
M-] move_right
M-S-[ move_up
M-S-] move_down
M-S-/ name_workspace
M-/ search_workspace
M-f search_win
M-d debug_toggle (debug mode only)
M-S-d dumpwins (debug mode only)
The action names and descriptions are listed below:
focus Focus window/region under pointer.
move Move window with pointer while binding is pressed.
resize Resize window with pointer while binding is pressed.
resize_centered Same as resize but keep window centered.
term Spawn a new terminal (see “PROGRAMS” above).
menu Menu (see “PROGRAMS” above).
quit Quit spectrwm.
restart Restart spectrwm.
restart_of_day Same as restart but configuration file is loaded in full.
cycle_layout Switch to the next layout.
flip_layout Swap the master and stacking areas.
prior_layout Switch to the last used layout.
layout_vertical Switch to vertical layout.
layout_horizontal Switch to horizontal layout.
layout_max Switch to max layout.
layout_floating Switch to floating layout.
stack_reset Reset layout.
stack_balance Balance master/stacking area.
master_shrink Shrink master area.
master_grow Grow master area.
master_add Add windows to master area.
master_del Remove windows from master area.
stack_inc Add columns/rows to stacking area.
stack_dec Remove columns/rows from stacking area.
swap_main Move current window to master area.
focus_next Focus next window in workspace.
focus_prev Focus previous window in workspace.
focus_main Focus on main window in workspace.
focus_prior Focus last focused window in workspace.
focus_free Focus on a window in free mode, if any.
focus_urgent Focus on next window with the urgency hint flag set. The workspace is switched
if needed.
swap_next Swap with next window in workspace.
swap_prev Swap with previous window in workspace.
bar_toggle Toggle overall visibility of status bars.
bar_toggle_ws Toggle status bar on current workspace.
wind_del Delete current window.
wind_kill Kill the program that created the current window.
ws_n Switch to workspace n, where n is 1 through workspace_limit.
mvws_n Move current window to workspace n, where n is 1 through workspace_limit.
rg_n Focus on region n, where n is 1 through 9.
mvrg_n Move current window to region n, where n is 1 through 9.
mvrg_next Move current window to workspace in next region.
mvrg_prev Move current window to workspace in previous region.
ws_empty Switch to the first empty workspace.
ws_empty_move Switch to the first empty workspace and move current window.
ws_next Switch to next workspace with a window in it.
ws_prev Switch to previous workspace with a window in it.
ws_next_all Switch to next workspace.
ws_prev_all Switch to previous workspace.
ws_next_move Switch to next workspace with the current window.
ws_prev_move Switch to previous workspace with the current window.
ws_prior Switch to last visited workspace.
rg_next Switch to next region.
rg_prev Switch to previous region.
rg_move_next Switch to next region and move current workspace.
rg_move_prev Switch to previous region and move current workspace.
screenshot_all Take screenshot of entire screen (if enabled) (see “PROGRAMS” above).
screenshot_wind Take screenshot of selected window (if enabled) (see “PROGRAMS” above).
version Toggle version in status bar.
float_toggle Toggle focused window between tiled and floating.
below_toggle Toggle below state on current window.
free_toggle Toggle focused window between workspace mode and free mode.
lock Lock screen (see “PROGRAMS” above).
initscr Reinitialize physical screens (see “PROGRAMS” above).
iconify Minimize (unmap) currently focused window.
uniconify Restore (map) window returned by dmenu(1) selection.
maximize_toggle Toggle maximization of focused window.
fullscreen_toggle Toggle fullscreen state of focused window.
raise Raise the current window.
always_raise When set tiled windows are allowed to obscure floating windows.
button2 Fake a middle mouse button click (Button2).
width_shrink Shrink the width of a floating window.
width_grow Grow the width of a floating window.
height_shrink Shrink the height of a floating window.
height_grow Grow the height of a floating window.
move_left Move a floating window a step to the left.
move_right Move a floating window a step to the right.
move_up Move a floating window a step upwards.
move_down Move a floating window a step downwards.
name_workspace Name the current workspace.
search_workspace Search for a workspace.
search_win Search the windows in the current workspace.
debug_toggle Toggles debug overlay. (debug mode only)
dumpwins Dump current window/focus/stacking state to debug log. (debug mode only)
Custom bindings in the configuration file are specified as follows:
bind[action] = combo
action is one of the actions listed above (or empty to unbind) and combo is in the form of zero or more
modifier keys and/or special arguments (Mod1, Shift, Control, MOD, etc.) and a normal key (b, Space, etc)
or a button (Button1 .. Button255), separated by ‘+’. Multiple key/button combinations may be bound to
the same action.
Special arguments:
MOD Substituted for the currently defined modkey.
ANYMOD Select all modifier combinations not handled by another binding.
REPLAY Reprocess binding press/release events for other programs to handle. Unavailable for
move, resize and resize_centered.
MOD example:
bind[reset] = Mod4+q # bind Windows-key + q to reset
bind[] = Mod1+q # unbind Alt + q
bind[move] = MOD+Button3 # Bind move to M-Button3
bind[] = MOD+Button1 # Unbind default move binding.
ANYMOD example:
bind[focus] = ANYMOD+Button3
bind[move] = MOD+Button3
In the above example, M-⟨Button3⟩ initiates move and ⟨Button3⟩ pressed with any other combination of
modifiers sets focus to the window/region under the pointer.
REPLAY example:
bind[focus] = REPLAY+Button3
In the above example, when ⟨Button3⟩ is pressed without any modifier(s), focus is set to the window under
the pointer and the button press is passed to the window.
To bind non-latin characters such as å or π you must enter the xkb character name instead of the
character itself. Run xev(1), focus the window and press the specific key and in the terminal output
read the symbol name. In the following example for å:
KeyPress event, serial 41, synthetic NO, window 0x2600001,
root 0x15a, subw 0x0, time 106213808, (11,5), root:(359,823),
state 0x0, keycode 24 (keysym 0xe5, aring), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 2 bytes: (c3 a5) "å"
XmbLookupString gives 2 bytes: (c3 a5) "å"
XFilterEvent returns: False
The xkb name is aring. In other words, in spectrwm.conf add:
bind[program] = MOD+aring
To clear all default keyboard bindings and specify your own, see the keyboard_mapping option.
KEYBOARD MAPPING FILES
Keyboard mapping files for several keyboard layouts are listed below. These files can be used with the
keyboard_mapping setting to load pre-defined key bindings for the specified keyboard layout.
spectrwm_cz.conf Czech Republic keyboard layout
spectrwm_es.conf Spanish keyboard layout
spectrwm_fr.conf French keyboard layout
spectrwm_fr_ch.conf Swiss French keyboard layout
spectrwm_se.conf Swedish keyboard layout
spectrwm_us.conf United States keyboard layout
QUIRKS
spectrwm provides "quirks" which handle windows that must be treated specially in a tiling window
manager, such as some dialogs and fullscreen apps.
The default quirks are described below:
Firefox-bin:firefox-bin TRANSSZ
Firefox:Dialog FLOAT
Gimp:gimp FLOAT + ANYWHERE
MPlayer:xv FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV
OpenOffice.org 2.4:VCLSalFrame FLOAT
OpenOffice.org 3.1:VCLSalFrame FLOAT
pcb:pcb FLOAT
xine:Xine Window FLOAT + ANYWHERE
xine:xine Panel FLOAT + ANYWHERE
xine:xine Video Fullscreen Window FULLSCREEN + FLOAT
Xitk:Xitk Combo FLOAT + ANYWHERE
Xitk:Xine Window FLOAT + ANYWHERE
XTerm:xterm XTERM_FONTADJ
The quirks themselves are described below:
ANYWHERE Allow window to position itself, uncentered.
FLOAT This window should not be tiled, but allowed to float freely.
FOCUSONMAP_SINGLE When the window first appears on the screen, change focus to the window if
there are no other windows on the workspace with the same WM_CLASS
class/instance value. Has no effect when focus_mode is set to follow.
FOCUSPREV On exit force focus on previously focused application not previous
application in the stack.
FULLSCREEN Remove border to allow window to use full region size.
IGNOREPID Ignore the PID when determining the initial workspace for a new window.
Especially useful for terminal windows that share a process.
IGNORESPAWNWS Ignore the spawn workspace when determining the initial workspace for a new
window.
MINIMALBORDER Remove border when window is unfocused and floating.
NOFOCUSCYCLE Remove from normal focus cycle (focus_prev or focus_next). The window can
still be focused using search_win.
NOFOCUSONMAP Do not change focus to the window when it first appears on the screen. Has
no effect when focus_mode is set to follow.
OBEYAPPFOCUSREQ When an application requests focus on the window via a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW
client message (source indication of 1), comply with the request. Note that
a source indication of 0 (unspecified) or 2 (pager) are always obeyed.
TRANSSZ Adjusts size on transient windows that are too small using dialog_ratio (see
“CONFIGURATION FILES”).
WS[n] Force a new window to appear on workspace n. Specify -1 to put the window
into free mode so that it is mapped independent of workspaces and regions.
XTERM_FONTADJ Adjust xterm(1) fonts when resizing.
Custom quirks in the configuration file are specified as follows:
quirk[class[:instance[:name]]] = quirk [+ quirk ...]
class, instance (optional) and name (optional) are patterns used to determine which window(s) the
quirk(s) apply to and quirk is one of the quirks from the list above.
Note that patterns are interpreted as POSIX Extended Regular Expressions. Any ':', '[' or ']' must be
escaped with '\'. See regex(7) for more information on POSIX Extended Regular Expressions.
For example:
quirk[MPlayer] = FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV # Float all windows having a class of 'MPlayer'
quirk[.*] = FLOAT # Float all windows by default.
quirk[.*:.*:.*] = FLOAT # Same as above.
quirk[Firefox:Navigator] = FLOAT # Float all Firefox browser windows.
quirk[::Console] = FLOAT # Float windows with WM_CLASS not set and a window name of 'Console'.
quirk[\[0-9\].*:.*:\[\[\:alnum\:\]\]*] = FLOAT # Float windows with WM_CLASS class beginning with a number, any WM_CLASS instance and a _NET_WM_NAME/WM_NAME either blank or containing alphanumeric characters without spaces.
quirk[pcb:pcb] = NONE # remove existing quirk
You can obtain class, instance and name by running xprop(1) and then clicking on the desired window. In
the following example the main window of Firefox was clicked:
$ xprop | grep -E "^(WM_CLASS|_NET_WM_NAME|WM_NAME)"
WM_CLASS(STRING) = "Navigator", "Firefox"
WM_NAME(STRING) = "spectrwm - ConformalOpenSource"
_NET_WM_NAME(UTF8_STRING) = "spectrwm - ConformalOpenSource"
Note that xprop(1) displays WM_CLASS as:
WM_CLASS(STRING) = "<instance>", "<class>"
In the example above the quirk entry would be:
quirk[Firefox:Navigator] = FLOAT
spectrwm also automatically assigns quirks to windows based on the value of the window's
_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE property as follows:
_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR FLOAT + ANYWHERE
_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_UTILITY FLOAT + ANYWHERE
_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_SPLASH FLOAT
_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DIALOG FLOAT
In all other cases, no automatic quirks are assigned to the window. Quirks specified in the
configuration file override the automatic quirks.
EWMH
spectrwm partially implements the Extended Window Manager Hints (EWMH) specification. This enables
controlling windows as well as spectrwm itself from external scripts and programs. This is achieved by
spectrwm responding to certain ClientMessage events. From the terminal these events can be conveniently
sent using tools such as wmctrl(1) and xdotool(1). For the actual format of these ClientMessage events,
see the EWMH specification.
The id of the currently focused window is stored in the _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW property of the root window.
This can be used for example to retrieve the title of the currently active window with xprop(1) and
grep(1):
$ WINDOWID=`xprop -root _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW | grep -o "0x.*"`
$ xprop -id $WINDOWID _NET_WM_NAME | grep -o "\".*\""
A window can be focused by sending a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW client message to the root window. For example,
using wmctrl(1) to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be focused):
$ wmctrl -i -a 0x4a0000b
Windows can be closed by sending a _NET_CLOSE_WINDOW client message to the root window. For example,
using wmctrl(1) to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be closed):
$ wmctrl -i -c 0x4a0000b
Windows can be floated and un-floated by adding or removing the _NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE atom from the
_NET_WM_STATE property of the window. This can be achieved by sending a _NET_WM_STATE client message to
the root window. For example, the following toggles the floating state of a window using wmctrl(1) to
send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be floated or un-floated):
$ wmctrl -i -r 0x4a0000b -b toggle,above
Windows can also be iconified and un-iconified by substituting _NET_WM_STATE_HIDDEN for
_NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE in the previous example:
$ wmctrl -i -r 0x4a0000b -b toggle,hidden
Floating windows can also be resized and moved by sending a _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW client message to the
root window. For example, using wmctrl(1) to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the
window to be resize/moved):
$ wmctrl -i -r 0x4a0000b -e 0,100,50,640,480
This moves the window to (100,50) and resizes it to 640x480.
Any _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW events received for stacked windows are ignored.
SWMHACK
When spawning a program via autorun or a binding, spectrwm aims to place the program's windows (if any)
in its spawn workspace. To accomplish this "spawn-in-workspace" behavior, spectrwm must determine the
intended spawn workspace when managing a new window. Since it cannot be done with X11 alone,
libswmhack.so is included to make this feature possible.
When a program is spawned, spectrwm automatically sets LD_PRELOAD and _SWM_WS in the program's spawn
environment to enable libswmhack.so when it is executed. Note that LD_PRELOAD is the path to
libswmhack.so and _SWM_WS is the spawn workspace for any windows created by the program.
When running programs from terminals, scripts, etc, the inherited environment may need to be configured.
It is possible to override the spawn workspace by setting _SWM_WS to a different value. Alternatively,
_SWM_WS can be unset(1) or set to a blank value to disable "spawn-in-workspace" behavior. Note that
workspaces are counted from 0. ‘-1’ can be specified to put windows into workspace-free mode.
For example, to play a video with mpv(1) on workspace 10 without changing the spawn workspace in the
environment:
$ _SWM_WS=9 mpv video.mkv
Play the video in free mode so that it remains mapped when switching workspaces.
$ _SWM_WS=-1 mpv video.mkv
Disable "spawn-in-workspace" in the environment so that new windows map on whichever workspace happens to
be focused.
$ unset _SWM_WS
Change the environment to spawn programs in free mode.
$ export _SWM_WS=-1
When spawning a program that creates windows via a daemon, ensure the daemon is started with the correct
LD_PRELOAD in its environment.
For example, when starting urxvtd(1) via xinit(1), LD_PRELOAD must be specified.
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libswmhack.so.0.0 urxvtd -q -o -f
Note that some operating systems may ignore LD_PRELOAD if certain conditions are not met. It is advised
to check the man page of ld.so.
In situations where libswmhack.so cannot be used, it is possible to use a quirk to spawn a program in a
specific workspace.
e.g. launch an xterm(1) in workspace 2 on startup:
autorun = ws[2]:xterm -name ws2
quirk[XTerm:ws2] = WS[2]
Note that XCB programs are currently unsupported by libswmhack.so.
SIGNALS
Sending spectrwm a HUP signal will restart it.
FILES
~/.spectrwm.conf spectrwm user specific settings.
/etc/spectrwm.conf spectrwm global settings.
HISTORY
spectrwm was inspired by xmonad & dwm.
AUTHORS
spectrwm was written by:
Marco Peereboom ⟨marco@peereboom.us⟩
Ryan Thomas McBride ⟨mcbride@countersiege.com⟩
Darrin Chandler ⟨dwchandler@stilyagin.com⟩
Pierre-Yves Ritschard ⟨pyr@spootnik.org⟩
Tuukka Kataja ⟨stuge@xor.fi⟩
Jason L. Wright ⟨jason@thought.net⟩
Reginald Kennedy ⟨rk@rejii.com⟩
Lawrence Teo ⟨lteo@lteo.net⟩
Tiago Cunha ⟨tcunha@gmx.com⟩
David Hill ⟨dhill@mindcry.org⟩
Debian November 25, 2023 SPECTRWM(1)