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.
In a master and stack layout, one window, the master, takes a large area (often half the screen), and every other window shares the rest as a stack, split evenly. Open another window and the stack gets one more, smaller, slot.
Where you find it
- xmonad (Tall) and dwm (tile) on Linux, where it started.
- Amethyst on macOS, as its Tall layout.
- Many other tiling managers, under names like main and stack or monad tall.
Good at
- One main task with a few helpers: code and terminals, a document and references.
- Promoting any window to master with one key.
Where it gets cramped
Every new window shrinks the stack. Five helpers on a laptop and each is a thin strip. Most people end up closing windows to keep the stack usable.
The scrolling take
A scrolling layout keeps the good part, a wide main window, and drops the squeeze. On a ClutterFreeMac strip, make the main column two thirds with ⌃ ⌥ R and stack two helpers in the column beside it with ⌃ ⌥ ]. More helpers go further along the strip at a usable width, instead of thinner slices. See scrolling vs tiling.
Questions
What is the master window in a tiling window manager?
The window given the large area in a master and stack layout. The others share the remaining space as a stack.
Read next
- Guide
Scrolling vs tiling window managers: which suits you?
Tiling splits one screen between all your windows. Scrolling gives each window its width and lets the row grow. How they differ, and who each one suits.
Read › - Guide
BSP tiling, explained: how binary space partitioning arranges windows
Each new window splits the one in focus in two. How binary space partition tiling works in bspwm and yabai, why people love it, and its trade off.
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 ›