I3 Move To Next Workspace

5 min read Oct 12, 2024

Moving Between Workspaces on i3: A Seamless Workflow

The i3 window manager offers a highly customizable and efficient desktop environment. One of its key features is the ability to work with multiple workspaces, providing a clean and organized way to manage multiple applications and tasks. But how do you actually navigate between these workspaces? Let's explore the simple yet powerful i3 move to next workspace command.

Understanding Workspaces in i3

Before we dive into the command itself, let's quickly grasp the concept of workspaces. In i3, workspaces are essentially separate virtual desktops. Each workspace can hold its own set of windows, providing a logical way to organize your workflow. You might dedicate one workspace for coding, another for browsing the web, and a third for multimedia.

Navigating Between Workspaces

The i3 move to next workspace command is your primary tool for switching between workspaces. It's incredibly intuitive:

Basic Usage: Simply type i3 move to next workspace in your terminal. This will move the currently focused window to the next workspace.
Moving to a Specific Workspace: If you want to move to a specific workspace, use the --to flag followed by the workspace number. For instance, i3 move to next workspace --to 3 will move the focused window to workspace number 3.

Tips for Efficient Workspace Management

Keybindings: For a more streamlined workflow, customize i3's keybindings. This allows you to use keyboard shortcuts for switching workspaces, which is much faster than typing commands. You can edit your i3 configuration file (usually located at ~/.config/i3/config) to set these bindings.
Workspaces and Focus: Keep in mind that the i3 move to next workspace command only moves the focused window. If you want to move all windows from one workspace to another, you'll need to manually focus each window and repeat the command.
Workspace Numbers: i3 typically starts with workspace number 1. You can create additional workspaces or change the default numbering within your i3 configuration.

Example Scenario

Imagine you're working on a document in one workspace and need to quickly check your email in another. You can achieve this seamlessly with i3 move to next workspace.

Focus the document window.
Press your Mod key (typically Alt or Super) and type i3 move to next workspace.
Switch to your email workspace using your assigned keybinding (or by typing i3 move to next workspace --to 2 if workspace 2 is your email workspace).
Once you're done with your email, use the same command to return to your document workspace.

Conclusion

i3 move to next workspace is a fundamental command for working with multiple workspaces in i3. By mastering this simple command, you can drastically improve your efficiency and organization within the i3 environment. Remember to personalize your keybindings and explore additional i3 features to create a truly optimized workflow.