Stacked and tabbed windows in window managers, explained
Two ways to put several windows in one slot: stacked one above another, or tabbed with only one showing. How each works, from i3 to a scrolling strip.
Tiling and scrolling window managers can put several windows in one slot. Stacked shows them one above another, sharing the height. Tabbed shows one at a time, with a row of tabs to pick another.
| Stacked | Tabbed | |
|---|---|---|
| You see | Every window, shorter | One window, full height |
| Good for | A log above a shell, chat above mail | Several documents of one kind |
| Moving between | Up and down | Through the tabs |
Where you find them
- i3 and Sway: tabbed and stacking containers.
- niri and PaperWM: several windows in one column.
- ClutterFreeMac: stacks and tabbed columns on the strip.
In ClutterFreeMac
| Do | Press |
|---|---|
| Stack the window into the column on its left | ⌃ ⌥ ] |
| Stack it into the column on its right | ⌃ ⌥ [ |
| Pop it back out into its own column | ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ ] or [ |
| Make the column tabbed | ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ T |
| Move up and down inside the column | ⌃ ⌥ ↑ and ↓ |
Try stacking in the live demo: press ] to stack and ⇧ ] to pop out.
Questions
What is the difference between stacked and tabbed layouts?
Stacked shows every window in the slot, one above another. Tabbed shows one at a time with tabs to switch.
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
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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.
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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.
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