Common i3 Keyboard Shortcuts
i3 is a tiling window manager primarily controlled via the keyboard. The Mod key is central to most shortcuts, typically Alt (Mod1) or the Super/Windows key (Mod4). Your i3 configuration file (commonly ~/.config/i3/config) defines which key is used.
Launching and Closing Applications
- Mod + Enter: Open a new terminal.
- Mod + d: Open an application launcher (e.g., dmenu or rofi).
- Mod + Shift + q: Close the focused window (kill).
Window Focus and Movement
- Mod + j (or Mod + Left Arrow): Focus window/container to the left.
- Mod + k (or Mod + Down Arrow): Focus window/container down.
- Mod + l (or Mod + Up Arrow): Focus window/container up.
- Mod + ; (semicolon) (or Mod + Right Arrow): Focus window/container to the right.
- Mod + Shift + j (or Mod + Shift + Left Arrow): Move focused window to the left.
- Mod + Shift + k (or Mod + Shift + Down Arrow): Move focused window down.
- Mod + Shift + l (or Mod + Shift + Up Arrow): Move focused window up.
- Mod + Shift + ; (semicolon) (or Mod + Shift + Right Arrow): Move focused window to the right.
- Mod + a: Focus parent container. To focus a child after focusing parent, use one of the directional focus keys.
Window Layout and Display
- Mod + f: Toggle fullscreen for the focused window.
- Mod + Shift + Space: Toggle floating mode for the focused window.
- Mod + Space: Toggle focus between tiling and floating layers.
- Mod + s: Change focused container's layout to stacking.
- Mod + w: Change focused container's layout to tabbed.
- Mod + e: Change focused container's layout to default tiling (toggles split orientation between horizontal/vertical for its children).
Workspace Management
- Mod + [0-9]: Switch to workspace number [0-9].
- Mod + Shift + [0-9]: Move focused window to workspace number [0-9].
Resizing Windows
- Mod + r: Enter resize mode. Then use j / k / l / (or arrow keys) to resize the focused window. Press Enter or Escape to exit resize mode.
Scratchpad
- Mod + Shift + minus: Move focused window to scratchpad.
- Mod + minus: Show/hide the next scratchpad window.
i3 Control
- Mod + Shift + c: Reload the i3 configuration file.
- Mod + Shift + r: Restart i3 in place.
- Mod + Shift + e: Exit i3 (logout).
These are common default or frequently configured shortcuts. Always refer to your specific i3 configuration file for the exact keybindings active on your system, as they are highly customizable.
