View source for KWin

{{about|the window manager|the radio station|KWIN}}
{{short description|KDE window manager for the X Window System}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox software
| name = KDE Plasma 5 <!-- Note: If you don't put the right thing here it breaks the latest release / latest preview fields when "frequently updated" is enabled. -->
| title = KWin
| logo = 
| screenshot = Cover Switch on KDE Plasma 5.24 screenshot.png
| caption = KWin 5.24 with Cover Switch effect
| developer = [[KDE]] (Martin Grässlin, et al.)
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1413413|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1413413|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1413413|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1413413|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
| operating_system = [[Linux]], [[BSD]], other [[Unix-like]]
| platform = 
| programming language = [[C++]] ([[Qt (software)|Qt]])
| genre = {{ubl|[[X window manager]]|[[Wayland compositor]]}}
| license = [[GNU General Public License]]
| website = https://invent.kde.org/plasma/kwin
}}
[[File:KDE Mascot Konqi for Plasma Desktop.png|thumb|KDE mascot, [[Konqi]], managing and moving windows]]
'''KWin''' is a [[window manager]] for the [[X Window System]] and a [[Wayland (display server protocol)#Wayland compositors|Wayland compositor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/5/5.5.0/|title=KDE Plasma 5.5 Release|publisher=KDE|date=December 8, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=KWin/Wayland - KDE Community Wiki|url=https://community.kde.org/KWin/Wayland|access-date=July 18, 2025|website=community.kde.org}}</ref> 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 environment]]s.

KWin can be configured by scripting using [[QML]] or [[QtScript]], both of which are based on [[ECMAScript]].<ref>{{cite web|title=KWin scripting tutorial|url=https://develop.kde.org/docs/plasma/kwin/|access-date=July 18, 2025}}</ref>

== History ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Version !! Details 
|-
| KWM  || 1.0 || 
|-
| rowspan="9" | KWin || 2.0 || Extended support for themes and window effects.
|-
| 3.0 || Improved support for the extended [[Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual|ICCCM]] standards from freedesktop.org.
|-
| 4.0 || [[Compositing window manager|Compositing]] support and [[Compiz]]-like effects.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}
|-
| 4.4 (02/2010)|| Maximizing and tiling by snapping to the screen-edges, grouping and tabbing.<ref>{{cite web |title=KDE SC 4.4.0 Caikaku Release Announcement |date=February 9, 2010 |url=http://www.kde.org/announcements/4.4/ |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref>
|-
| 4.5 || [[Tiling window manager|Tiling]].<ref>{{cite web |title=KDE Software Compilation 4.5 Beta2 Release Announcement |date=June 9, 2010 |url=http://kde.org/announcements/announce-4.5-beta2.php |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> (removed in version 4.10)
|-
| 4.9 || Incompatible API change.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/KWin/Scripting_Update_Notes |date=March 6, 2012 |title=Scripting Update Notes |access-date=June 19, 2013}}</ref>
|-
| 4.11 || Last release based on [[KDE Platform 4]], added experimental [[Wayland (display server protocol)|Wayland]] support.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kde.org/announcements/4.11/plasma.php |date=August 14, 2013 |title=Plasma Workspaces 4.11 Continues to Refine User Experience |access-date=July 1, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 5.0 || First release based on [[KDE Frameworks 5]] and [[Qt (software)|Qt 5]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kde.org/announcements/plasma5.0 |date=July 15, 2014 |title=New Plasma brings a cleaner interface on top of a new graphics stack |access-date=July 1, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|5.12 || Released February 2018, KWin/X11 got feature frozen, meaning no new X11 specific features will be added. Martin Flöser stated that new features are easy and straight forward with the Wayland back-end, but require considerably more development to add the same feature to the X11 back-end.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.martin-graesslin.com/blog/2018/01/kwinx11-is-feature-frozen/ |title=KWin/X11 is feature frozen |date=2018-01-16}}</ref>
|}

== Look and feel ==
There are many [[window decoration]]s for KWin, including the current default Breeze (shown below), the previous default Oxygen, [[Microsoft Windows]]-like Redmond, and Keramik.
[[File:KWin Breeze window decoration.png|frame|center|KWin with the Breeze window decoration]]

== Compositing ==
Currently available compositing backends include [[OpenGL]] 1.2, OpenGL 2.0, OpenGL 3.1<ref>{{cite news
| title= What we did in KWin 4.11
| url= https://blog.martin-graesslin.com/blog/2013/06/what-we-did-in-kwin-4-11/
| author = Martin Gräßlin
| date = June 18, 2013
| access-date=July 18, 2025
}}</ref> and [[OpenGL ES]] 2.0.<ref>{{cite news
| title= KWin Embraces New Platforms with OpenGL ES 2.0 Support
| url= https://dot.kde.org/2011/02/18/kwin-embraces-new-platforms-opengl-es-20-support
| author = Martin Gräßlin
| agency = KDE.NEWS
| publisher = KDE
| date = February 18, 2011
| access-date=July 18, 2025
}}</ref>

=== Included effects ===
[[File:Kwin-coverswitch4.1 beta 1.png|thumb|Screenshot showing the cover switch effect in KWin for KDE 4.1]]
As of KDE 4.3, the following effects are built-in:

==== Accessibility ====

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Description
|-
| Invert || Inverts the color of the desktop and windows
|-
| Looking glass || A screen magnifier that looks like a fish eye lens
|-
| Magnifier || Magnify the section of the screen that is near the mouse cursor
|-
| Sharpen || Makes the entire desktop look sharper
|-
| Snap Helper || Helps locate the centre of the screen when moving a window
|-
| Track mouse || Display a mouse cursor locating effect when activated
|-
| Zoom || Magnify the entire desktop
|}

==== Appearance ====

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Description
|-
| Explosion || Make windows explode when they are closed
|-
| Fade || Make windows smoothly fade in and out when they are shown or hidden
|-
| Fade Desktop || Fade between virtual desktops when switching between them
|-
| Fall apart || Close windows fall into pieces
|-
| Highlight Windows || Highlight the appropriate window when hovering over taskbar entries
|-
| Login || Smoothly fade to the desktop when logging in
|-
| Logout || Desaturate the desktop when displaying the logout dialog
|-
| Magic Lamp || Simulate a magic lamp when minimizing windows
|-
| Minimize animation || Animate the minimizing of windows
|-
| Mouse mark || Allows you to draw lines over your desktop
|-
| Scale In || Animate the appearance of windows
|-
| Sheet || Make modal dialogues smoothly fly in and out when shown or hidden
|-
| Slide || Slide windows across the screen when switching virtual desktops
|-
| Sliding popups || Sliding animation for Plasma Popups
|-
| Taskbar Thumbnails || Display window thumbnails when hovering over taskbar entries
|-
| Thumbnail aside || Display window thumbnails on the edge of the screen
|-
| Translucency || Make windows translucent under different conditions
|-
| Wobbly windows || Deform windows while they are moving
|}

==== Candy ====

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Description
|-
| Snow || Simulate snow falling on the desktop
|}

==== Focus ====

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Description
|-
| Dialog parent || Darkens the parent windows of the currently active dialogue
|-
| Dim Inactive || Darken inactive windows
|-
| Dim screen for administrator mode || Darkens the entire screen when requesting root privileges
|-
| Slide Back || Slide back windows losing focus
|}

==== Tools====

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Description
|-
| Show FPS|| Show kwins performance in the corner of the screen
|-
| Show Paint|| Highlight areas of the desktop that have been recently updated
|}

==== Window management ====
{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Description
|-
| Box switch || Removed in latest versions, no longer available.
|-
| Cover switch || Removed in latest versions, no longer available.
|-
| Desktop grid || Zoom out so all desktops are displayed side-by-side in a grid
|-
| Flip switch || Removed in latest versions, no longer available.
|-
| Present windows|| Zoom out until open windows can be displayed side by side
|-
| Resize Window|| Effect to outline geometry while resizing a window
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
*[[Comparison of X window managers]]
*[[Compiz]]
*[[Mutter (software)]]
*[[Desktop Window Manager]] (Microsoft Windows)
*[[Quartz Compositor]] (macOS)

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [https://techbase.kde.org/Projects/KWin/4.0-release-notes KWin release notes for KDE4.0]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100826191559/http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Decorations for KWin 4]

{{KDE}}
{{X desktop environments and window managers}}

[[Category:Compositing window managers]]
[[Category:Free X window managers]]
[[Category:KDE Software Compilation]]
[[Category:Linux windowing system-related software]]
[[Category:Wayland compositors]]
[[Category:X window managers extensible by scripting]]