> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/FraVelz/Config-Sway/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# 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.

<Note>
  If you haven't installed Config-Sway yet, follow the [Installation Guide](/installation) first.
</Note>

## Starting Sway

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

### From TTY (Recommended)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Switch to a TTY">
    Press `Ctrl+Alt+F2` (or F3, F4, etc.) to switch to a text terminal.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Log in">
    Enter your username and password.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Launch Sway">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sway
    ```

    Sway will start and you'll see your desktop with Waybar at the top.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  If you're running NVIDIA graphics, you may experience issues with Wayland. AMD and Intel GPUs work best with Sway.
</Warning>

### 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

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Terminal theme={null}
  Super + Enter        Open Kitty terminal
  ```

  ```text Application Launcher theme={null}
  Super + D           Open Rofi application launcher
  ```

  ```text Web Browser theme={null}
  Super + F           Open Firefox
  ```

  ```text Screenshot theme={null}
  Super + Z           Open Flameshot (screenshot tool)
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Window Management

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Focus theme={null}
  Super + H           Focus window to the left
  Super + J           Focus window below
  Super + K           Focus window above
  Super + L           Focus window to the right
  ```

  ```text Window Actions theme={null}
  Super + C           Close focused window
  Super + U           Toggle floating mode
  Super + P           Toggle fullscreen
  Super + O           Toggle split layout (horizontal/vertical)
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Workspaces

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Switch Workspace theme={null}
  Super + 1-9         Switch to workspace 1-9
  Super + 0           Switch to workspace 10
  Super + S           Switch to "magic" workspace
  ```

  ```text Move Window to Workspace theme={null}
  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
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### System Menus

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Power Menu theme={null}
  Super + Q           Open power menu (shutdown/reboot/lock/suspend/logout)
  ```

  ```text Theme Switcher theme={null}
  Super + A           Open theme switcher
  ```

  ```text Wallpaper Switcher theme={null}
  Super + W           Change wallpaper
  ```

  ```text Emoji/Icon Menu theme={null}
  Super + E           Open emoji/icon menu
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Your First Session

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

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open a terminal">
    Press `Super + Enter` to open Kitty, your terminal emulator.

    <Note>
      Kitty is a GPU-accelerated terminal with excellent performance and features like ligatures and image support.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Customizing Your Setup

### Switching Themes

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

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the theme switcher">
    Press `Super + A` to open the theme switcher menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the change">
    Your current theme is saved in `~/.config/themes/.current`.

    Open a new terminal window to see the updated colors: `Super + Enter`
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Changing Wallpapers

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

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

## 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:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Volume theme={null}
  XF86AudioRaiseVolume    Increase volume by 5%
  XF86AudioLowerVolume    Decrease volume by 5%
  XF86AudioMute           Toggle mute
  XF86AudioMicMute        Toggle microphone mute
  ```

  ```text Brightness theme={null}
  XF86MonBrightnessUp     Increase brightness
  XF86MonBrightnessDown   Decrease brightness
  ```

  ```text Media Playback theme={null}
  XF86AudioPlay           Play/Pause
  XF86AudioNext           Next track
  XF86AudioPrev           Previous track
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Note>
  These keys work automatically if your keyboard has dedicated media keys. On laptops, they're usually accessed with the `Fn` key.
</Note>

## 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:

```bash theme={null}
# Reload Sway config
Super + Shift + R
```

Or from a terminal:

```bash theme={null}
swaymsg reload
```

To restart Waybar:

```bash theme={null}
killall waybar
waybar &
```

## Getting Help

### View All Keybindings

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

```bash theme={null}
nvim ~/.config/sway/config
```

### Check Sway Status

```bash theme={null}
# View Sway IPC socket
swaymsg -t get_tree

# List outputs
swaymsg -t get_outputs

# List workspaces
swaymsg -t get_workspaces
```

### Debug Issues

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash View Sway logs theme={null}
  journalctl --user -u sway -b
  ```

  ```bash Test Sway config theme={null}
  sway --validate
  ```

  ```bash Check portal status theme={null}
  systemctl --user status xdg-desktop-portal-wlr
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## 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:

<Card title="Customization" icon="palette" href="/guides/customization">
  Learn how to customize themes, configure Waybar, and personalize your setup.
</Card>

<Card title="Keybindings" icon="keyboard" href="/guides/keybindings">
  View the complete keybinding reference with all shortcuts.
</Card>

<Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/guides/troubleshooting">
  Solutions for common issues and problems.
</Card>

## Tips for New Users

<Note>
  **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
</Note>

<Warning>
  **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.
</Warning>

## Practice Exercise

Try this workflow to get comfortable with Sway:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open multiple terminals">
    Press `Super + Enter` three times to open three terminal windows.

    Notice how they tile automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Navigate between them">
    Use `Super + H/J/K/L` to move focus between terminals.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Move one to workspace 2">
    Focus one terminal and press `Super + Shift + 2`.

    Press `Super + 2` to see it in workspace 2.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Switch back to workspace 1">
    Press `Super + 1` to return.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Close everything">
    Press `Super + C` on each window to close them.

    Or press `Super + Q` and select "Logout" to exit Sway.
  </Step>
</Steps>

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