Quick Start

Get up and running with Config-Sway in minutes

Getting Started

Welcome to Config-Sway! This guide will help you start using your new Sway window manager setup immediately.

If you haven’t installed Config-Sway yet, follow the Installation Guide first.

Starting Sway

You can start Sway from a TTY or through a display manager.

From TTY (Recommended)

1. Switch to a TTY

   Press Ctrl+Alt+F2 (or F3, F4, etc.) to switch to a text terminal.

2. Log in

   Enter your username and password.

3. Launch Sway

   sway
   

   Sway will start and you’ll see your desktop with Waybar at the top.

If you’re running NVIDIA graphics, you may experience issues with Wayland. AMD and Intel GPUs work best with Sway.

From a Display Manager

If you use a display manager (GDM, SDDM, LightDM), select “Sway” from the session menu before logging in.

Essential Keybindings

Config-Sway uses Super (Windows key) as the primary modifier, with Hyprland-style shortcuts.

Opening Applications

Terminal

Super + Enter        Open Kitty terminal

Super + D           Open Rofi application launcher

Super + F           Open Firefox

Super + Z           Open Flameshot (screenshot tool)

Window Management

Focus

Super + H           Focus window to the left
Super + J           Focus window below
Super + K           Focus window above
Super + L           Focus window to the right

Super + C           Close focused window
Super + U           Toggle floating mode
Super + P           Toggle fullscreen
Super + O           Toggle split layout (horizontal/vertical)

Workspaces

Switch Workspace

Super + 1-9         Switch to workspace 1-9
Super + 0           Switch to workspace 10
Super + S           Switch to "magic" workspace

Super + Shift + 1-9 Move window to workspace 1-9
Super + Shift + 0   Move window to workspace 10
Super + Shift + S   Move window to "magic" workspace

System Menus

Power Menu

Super + Q           Open power menu (shutdown/reboot/lock/suspend/logout)

Super + A           Open theme switcher

Super + W           Change wallpaper

Super + E           Open emoji/icon menu

Your First Session

Let’s walk through using Sway for the first time.

1. Open a terminal

   Press Super + Enter to open Kitty, your terminal emulator.

   Kitty is a GPU-accelerated terminal with excellent performance and features like ligatures and image support.

2. Launch applications

   Press Super + D to open the Rofi application launcher. Type the name of an application and press Enter to launch it.

   Try launching Firefox: press Super + D, type “firefox”, and press Enter.

3. Navigate between windows

   Use Super + H/J/K/L to move focus between open windows:

   • Super + H - Focus left
   • Super + L - Focus right
   • Super + K - Focus up
   • Super + J - Focus down

   This follows Vim-style navigation keys.

4. Switch workspaces

   Press Super + 2 to switch to workspace 2. Press Super + 1 to return to workspace 1.

   Workspaces help you organize windows by task or project.

5. Move windows between workspaces

   Focus a window, then press Super + Shift + 2 to move it to workspace 2.

   Press Super + 2 to follow it to that workspace.

Customizing Your Setup

Switching Themes

Config-Sway includes a unified theme system that changes colors across Sway, Waybar, Kitty, and Rofi.

1. Open the theme switcher

   Press Super + A to open the theme switcher menu.

2. Select a theme

   Use arrow keys to navigate and Enter to select a theme.

   The theme applies immediately to:

   • Window borders and title bars (Sway)
   • Status bar colors (Waybar)
   • Terminal colors (Kitty)
   • Menu colors (Rofi)
   • Wallpaper
3. Verify the change

   Your current theme is saved in ~/.config/themes/.current.

   Open a new terminal window to see the updated colors: Super + Enter

Changing Wallpapers

Press Super + W to open the wallpaper switcher. Select an image from your wallpapers directory.

Wallpapers are stored in ~/.config/wallpapers/. Add your own images to this directory to use them.

Window Layout Tips

Floating Windows

By default, Sway tiles windows automatically. To make a window float:

1. Focus the window
2. Press Super + U to toggle floating mode
3. Move floating windows with Super + Shift + H/J/K/L (50px) or Super + Alt + H/J/K/L (150px)
4. Resize floating windows with Super + Ctrl + H/J/K/L

Split Direction

Press Super + O to toggle between horizontal and vertical splits. New windows will tile in the current split direction.

Fullscreen

Press Super + P to make the focused window fullscreen. Press it again to exit fullscreen.

Using the Power Menu

Press Super + Q to open the power menu with these options:

• Shutdown: Power off your computer
• Reboot: Restart your computer
• Lock: Lock your screen with swaylock
• Suspend: Suspend to RAM (sleep mode)
• Logout: Exit Sway and return to TTY/display manager

Media Controls

Config-Sway includes multimedia key support:

Volume

XF86AudioRaiseVolume    Increase volume by 5%
XF86AudioLowerVolume    Decrease volume by 5%
XF86AudioMute           Toggle mute
XF86AudioMicMute        Toggle microphone mute

XF86MonBrightnessUp     Increase brightness
XF86MonBrightnessDown   Decrease brightness

XF86AudioPlay           Play/Pause
XF86AudioNext           Next track
XF86AudioPrev           Previous track

These keys work automatically if your keyboard has dedicated media keys. On laptops, they’re usually accessed with the Fn key.

Notifications

Config-Sway uses Mako for notifications.

Notification Controls

• Super + N - Dismiss all notifications
• Super + Shift + N - Toggle Do Not Disturb mode

Notifications appear in the top-right corner of your screen.

Mouse Gestures

You can also use your mouse with the Super key:

• Super + Left Click - Drag to move window
• Super + Middle Click - Drag to resize window
• Super + Right Click - Toggle floating mode
• Super + Scroll Up - Next workspace
• Super + Scroll Down - Previous workspace

Reloading Configuration

After editing configuration files:

# Reload Sway config
Super + Shift + R

Or from a terminal:

swaymsg reload

To restart Waybar:

killall waybar
waybar &

Getting Help

View All Keybindings

All keybindings are defined in ~/.config/sway/config. Open it in your editor:

nvim ~/.config/sway/config

Check Sway Status

# View Sway IPC socket
swaymsg -t get_tree

# List outputs
swaymsg -t get_outputs

# List workspaces
swaymsg -t get_workspaces

Debug Issues

View Sway logs

journalctl --user -u sway -b

sway --validate

systemctl --user status xdg-desktop-portal-wlr

Quick Reference Card

Most Important Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Super + Enter	Open terminal
Super + D	Application launcher
Super + Q	Power menu
Super + C	Close window
Super + A	Theme switcher
Super + H/J/K/L	Navigate windows
Super + 1-9	Switch workspace
Super + Shift + 1-9	Move window to workspace
Super + U	Toggle floating
Super + P	Toggle fullscreen

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the basics, explore more features:

Customization

Learn how to customize themes, configure Waybar, and personalize your setup.

Keybindings

View the complete keybinding reference with all shortcuts.

Troubleshooting

Solutions for common issues and problems.

Tips for New Users

Coming from a desktop environment? Sway works differently:

• There’s no traditional “minimize” - use workspaces instead
• Windows tile automatically - use Super + U to float windows when needed
• The status bar (Waybar) shows workspace indicators - click them to switch
• Right-click the network icon in Waybar to manage WiFi connections

Remember to save your work! Unlike some desktop environments, closing the last window doesn’t prevent logout. Press Super + Q and select “Logout” when you’re ready to exit.

Practice Exercise

Try this workflow to get comfortable with Sway:

1. Open multiple terminals

   Press Super + Enter three times to open three terminal windows.

   Notice how they tile automatically.

2. Navigate between them

   Use Super + H/J/K/L to move focus between terminals.

3. Move one to workspace 2

   Focus one terminal and press Super + Shift + 2.

   Press Super + 2 to see it in workspace 2.

4. Switch back to workspace 1

   Press Super + 1 to return.

5. Make a terminal floating

   Focus a terminal and press Super + U.

   Move it with Super + Shift + H/J/K/L.

   Resize it with Super + Ctrl + H/J/K/L.

6. Close everything

   Press Super + C on each window to close them.

   Or press Super + Q and select “Logout” to exit Sway.

Congratulations! You now know the fundamentals of using Config-Sway.