Window Manager VS Desktop Environment

Linux is about choice. Take the graphical user interface (GUI) you use. With Windows and macOS, you're locked into the desktops Microsoft and Apple, respectively, have chosen for you. But with Linux desktop environments, the sky's the limit. We tested the two main ways to customize Linux — a windows manager and a desktop environment — to help you choose.

There are many ways to customize a Linux environment. Depending on the Linux distribution you use and how tech-savvy you are, you may want a window manager, a desktop environment, or both.

What Is a Window Manager?

The window manager is responsible for the placement of the windows, how they are arranged on the screen, how they interact with each other, and, up to a point, their appearance.

It’s easier to understand what window managers are if you look at their two different subcategories: stacking and tiling.

Tiling window managers display the full contents of all active windows next to each other. They split the screen into many smaller parts and place each application in them. Some popular tiling window managers are i3, awesome, bspwm, and Ratpoison.

Stacking window managers are the paradigm most people are familiar with and allow windows to float and cover each other. They allow you to move a window around the screen freely, change its size, place two of them next to or over each other, etc.

However, the distinction between them isn’t always straightforward. Some tiling window managers may also allow some windows to float freely, move around, and resize. Similarly, modern stacking window managers may also offer functions that help tile windows next to each other.

What Is a Desktop Environment?

Building on the window manager, the desktop environment adds the final graphic touches to the visual desktop experience.

At its base, the desktop environment is responsible for the toolbars, panels, and all the little tools we take for granted when using our desktop. Among them is the clipboard manager, the applets that allow us to control our network connections or move between virtual desktops, etc.

Some of the most popular full-blown desktop environments in Linux are Gnome, KDE, and XFCE.

A desktop environment also (usually) comes with a suite of apps. A text editor, calendars, process viewers, and, of course, a file manager are among the essential tools that come with most desktop environments.

When you realize that a window manager doesn’t come with all of this, the distinction between them and a desktop environment becomes more apparent.

Window Managers

Pros

  • Way Less memory/CPU usage than most desktop environments
  • Highly configurable
  • Has almost no bundled software with it, totally vanilla with as much less bloat as possible

Cons

  • Not as user-friendly if you want to make heavy customizations.
  • Some learning curve

Desktop Environments

Pros

  • More newbie-friendly
  • Easier to customize

Cons

  • Requires more resources
  • Certain desktop environments can feel slow and bloated – especially on underpowered and older hardware
  • Miss tiling features unless force implemented. Can make you less productive