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Tiling window managers are an efficient way to use a PC.
They automatically arrange windows for you.
The FancyWM window manager can be installed on Windows for free.
As a long-time Linux user, I can totally appreciate the desire to change the desktop. That's a fairly simple feat on Linux, because there are so many varied desktops to be had.
But what about Windows?
Every time I find myself on a Windows desktop, one of the first things I think is how horribly inefficient the desktop is. The last time I had to use Windows, I thought, "There has to be something different, something more efficient."
And so, I decided to find something. That something is a tiling window manager called FancyWM.
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You might be asking, "What is a tiling window manager?" The answer is simple: A tiling window manager is one that arranges windows in a grid-like pattern with a focus on efficiency and productivity. Tiling window managers are designed to make the best use of screen real estate by removing typical window decorations.
Tiling window managers are designed to maximize screen real estate by eliminating the need for traditional window decorations, such as title bars, borders, and menus.
For the longest time, I didn't like how tiling window managers made decisions for me, until I realized those decisions were pretty darned efficient. Now, I see the beauty and simplicity of the tiling window manager and often make use of one when I need to work more efficiently.
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If you're a Windows user, I want to show you how you can add tiling to your desktop, and it all begins with something fancy… as in FancyWM.
FancyWM is a dynamic tiling window manager that works with both Windows 10 and 11. The feature list for FancyWM includes:
Dynamic, tiling layouts managed with either mouse or keyboard
Window focus and swapping are handled with keyboard combinations
Horizontal and vertical panels
Panel stacking and embedding
Jump and/or move windows to virtual desktops
Auto-float windows
Customizable keybindings
Multi-monitor support
Quick toggle to disable/enable tiling
Low CPU usage
Animations can be disabled for better battery life
Does not tile pop-ups
FancyWM uses the Shift+Up Arrow as its activation hotkey. Once you've activated the hotkey, you can then use one of the keybindings you've created in settings.
Let's get FancyWM installed on Windows 11 and then check out the basic usage.
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Installing FancyWM
What you'll need: The only thing you'll need for this is a machine running Windows 10 or 11. Of course, given that Windows 10 support is about to end, I would suggest using Windows 11. If you have a Windows 10 machine that doesn't support Windows 11, I would suggest switching to Linux and using Pop!_OS, as it has built-in tiling that can be quickly enabled or disabled.
1. Open the Windows App Store Since FancyWM is found in the Windows App Store, open that app. Show more
2. Search for and install FancyWM In the search bar, type FancyWM. When the entry appears, click Get to install the new window manager. When the installation completes, close the App Store. Show more
I've already installed FancyWM, so the Get button is now listed as Free. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Using FancyWM
With FancyWM installed, you can now launch it from the Windows 11 menu. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard and type FancyWM. When the FancyWM entry appears, click it to launch the application. A pop-up should appear indicating that FancyWM is running. You can uncheck the box that instructs the window manager to display the startup window, so you don't have to manually close that window.
You won't need to see this again, so you can set it to not show. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
With FancyWM running, open up a few apps, and you should immediately see that those windows are automatically tiled for you. At that point, you will start to get what the tiling window manager is all about.
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For those of you who want more, here's what you do. Before you hit the hotkey combination, click on the FancyWM icon in the system tray, and the settings app will appear. Click the Keybindings section and learn some of the keybindings that you might use (such as Ctrl+Left Arrow to move a window left or Ctrl+Right Arrow to move a window to the right). You can also customize those keybindings, so they're easier for you to remember.
Go through the Keybindings section and learn how to manipulate windows with FancyWM. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
OK, now that you understand what the keybindings are. Hit the Shift+Windows Key combination (that's the hotkey). Once you do that, you can then invoke any one of the keybindings. For example, if you have two apps open and they've been tiled vertically, but you want them horizontal, hit the hotkey combination and then the keybinding for move right. You will also see a pop-up window with a list of keybindings when you hit the hotkey.
Say you have three windows, two of which are tiled horizontally on the left and one that takes up the entire right side. If you want all three of those windows to be tiled vertically, give focus to one of the windows on the left side, hit the hotkey, and then hit the keybinding for moving a window to the upper level (keybinding Enter). You should now have all three windows tiled vertically because the upper level means the top of your display.
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It's a bit awkward to explain (tiling window managers can be that way), but once you get the hang of it, you'll see how efficient these things can be.
You can also read more about the keybindings on the official FancyWM Wiki page.