Free X window managers

thumb|Fluxbox 1.3 Xsession running on Debian [[GNU/Linux 7]]

Openbox is a free, stacking window manager for the X Window System, licensed under the GNU General Public License. Originally derived from Blackbox 0.65.0 (a C++ project), Openbox has been completely re-written in the C programming language and since version 3.0 is no longer based upon any code from Blackbox. Since at least 2010, it has been considered feature complete, bug free and a completed project. Occasional maintenance is done to keep it working, but only if needed.

window manager for Unix-like operating systems

Compiz () is a compositing window manager for the X Window System, using 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. Effects, such as a minimization animation or a cube workspace, are implemented as loadable plugins. Because it conforms to the ICCCM conventions, Compiz can be used as a substitute for the default Mutter or Metacity, when using GNOME Panel, or KWin in KDE Plasma Workspaces. Internally Compiz uses the OpenGL library as the interface to the graphics hardware.

IceWM is a stacking window manager for the X Window System, originally written by Marko Maček. It was written from scratch in C++ and is released under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License.

thumb|Blackbox 0.7 Xsession running on Debian 7 [[Linux]] Blackbox is a free and open-source stacking window manager for the X Window System.

X11 window manager originally designed to provide integration support for the GNUstep Desktop Environment

thumb|dwm's xinerama support: tiling on two screens simultaneously

Metacity (pronounced ) was the default window manager used by the GNOME 2 desktop environment until it was replaced by Mutter in GNOME 3. It is still used by GNOME Flashback, a session for GNOME 3 that provides a similar user experience to the Gnome 2.x series sessions.

thumb|KDE mascot, Konqi, managing and moving windows KWin is a Wayland compositor and an X window manager. It is released as a part of KDE Plasma, for which it is the default window manager. KWin can also be used on its own or with other desktop environments.

simple and lightweight window manager with few dependencies

tiling window manager for X Window System

The F Virtual Window Manager (FVWM) is a virtual window manager for the X Window System. Originally a twm derivative, FVWM is now a window manager for Unix-like systems.

GNOME window manager and display server

twm is a window manager for the X Window System. Started in 1987 by Tom LaStrange, it has been the standard window manager for the X Window System since version X11R4. The name originally stood for '''Tom's Window Manager, but the software was renamed Tab Window Manager''' by the X Consortium when they adopted it in 1989. twm is a stacking window manager that provides title bars, shaped windows and icon management. It is highly configurable and extensible.

ratpoison is a tiling window manager for the X Window System primarily developed by Shawn Betts. The user interface and much of their functionality are inspired by the GNU Screen terminal multiplexer. While ratpoison is written in C, Betts' StumpWM re-implements a similar window manager in Common Lisp.

thumb|xmonad's Xinerama support: tiling on three screens simultaneously. thumb|xmonad in tiling window manager|tiling mode xmonad is a dynamic window manager (tiling) for the X Window System, noted for being written in the functional programming language Haskell.

AfterStep is a stacking window manager for the X Window System. The goal of AfterStep's development is to provide for flexibility of desktop configuration, improved aesthetics and efficient use of system resources, and was used in such distributions as MachTen. AfterStep originally was a variant of FVWM modified to resemble NeXTSTEP, but as the development cycle progressed, it diverged from its FVWM roots. In 2000, Linux website TuxRadar selected AfterStep as one of the year's best window managers, praising it as "fast and reliable, with a huge range of configuration options and the ability to

window manager for Linux and other Unix

REDIRECT Tiling window manager#wmii

free and open source window manager for the X Window System

stacking window manager for the X Window System on OpenBSD

project aiming to create a 3D desktop, conducted by Sun Microsystems

Metisse is a 2.5D X window manager with many features that set it apart from the traditional 3D "cube" workspace. Windows can be turned three-dimensionally in any direction, enabling the user to fit more windows onto a screen, and they can be scaled, all while remaining fully operational. The development team has avoided such effects as wobbly windows, giving functionality and productivity higher priority than eye candy.

window manager for the X Window System based on the Motif toolkit

thumb|FLWM 1.02 Xsession running on Debian 7 [[Linux]]