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.
In a monocle layout, the focused window fills the whole screen, and the other windows sit behind it. Moving focus brings the next one to the front. It is tiling's answer to "I only want to see one thing".
Where you find it
- dwm, which named it.
- Amethyst (Fullscreen layout) on macOS.
- Others call it max, full or zoom.
Good at
- Small screens, where splitting leaves nothing usable.
- Deep focus on one document.
The catch
You cannot see what is next. With many windows, you cycle blind until you land on the right one.
Monocle with a view of the neighbours
ClutterFreeMac's Focus layout, the default, is close to monocle: the window you work in is large and centred. The difference is that the windows either side peek in at the edges, so you can see what is next and get there with a swipe. ⌃ ⌥ F gives any window the full width when you want true monocle.
Questions
What is monocle layout?
A layout where the focused window fills the screen and the others wait behind it, one at a time.
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
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
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 ›