dwm on a Mac: the closest options
dwm, the minimal tiling window manager, runs on X11 only. Mac apps with its master and stack and monocle layouts, and a different take on the same goals.
dwm does not run on macOS. It is a small tiling window manager for X11, configured by editing its source. Its layouts are master and stack, monocle (one window at a time), and floating.
Closest matches
- Amethyst has a master and stack layout (Tall) and a full screen layout like monocle.
- AeroSpace for tags style workspaces bound to keys.
- ClutterFreeMac for something different: a strip of columns. Its Focus layout is close to monocle with neighbours peeking in.
See monocle layout explained and master and stack explained for how each idea carries over.
Questions
Can dwm run on a Mac?
Not as the Mac's window manager. Amethyst offers similar layouts on macOS.
Read next
- Coming from
xmonad on a Mac: the closest options
xmonad does not run on macOS. Which Mac window managers feel closest, how its master and stack layout maps across, and what a scrolling strip changes.
Read › - Guide
The master and stack layout, explained
One big window and a stack of small ones: the layout behind xmonad, dwm and Amethyst. How it works, what it is good at, and where it gets cramped.
Read › - Guide
The monocle layout, explained
One window at a time, full size, with the others stacked behind. What monocle layout is, which window managers have it, and a version where neighbours peek in.
Read ›