Editing Window manager (section)

== Examples ==

=== X window managers ===
{{Main article|X window manager}}

On systems using the [[X window system]], there is a clear distinction between the window manager and the [[windowing system]]. Strictly speaking, an [[X window manager]] does not directly interact with video hardware, mice, or keyboards – that is the responsibility of the [[display server]].

Users of the X Window System have the ability to easily use many different window managers – [[Metacity]], used in [[GNOME#GNOME 2|GNOME 2]], and [[KWin]], used in [[KDE Plasma Workspaces]], and many others. Since many window managers are modular,{{Vague|date=April 2023|reason=What does "modular" mean here?}} people can use others,{{Vague|date=April 2023|reason=Other than what?  The default window manager for the platform?}} such as [[Compiz]] (a 3D [[compositing window manager]]), which replaces the window manager.{{Vague|date=April 2023|reason=What is "the" window manager? If you're using Compiz, isn't *it* "the window manager"?}} [[Sawfish (window manager)|Sawfish]] and [[Awesome (window manager)|awesome]] on the other hand are [[extensible]] window managers offering exacting window control. Components of different window managers can even be mixed and matched; for example, the [[window decoration]]s from [[KWin]] can be used with the [[Desktop metaphor|desktop]] and [[Dock (computing)|dock]] components of GNOME.

X window managers also have the ability to [[re-parenting window manager|re-parent]] applications, meaning that, while initially all applications are adopted by the [[root window]] (essentially the whole screen), an application started within the root window can be adopted by (i.e., put inside of) another window. Window managers under the X window system adopt applications from the root window and re-parent them to apply window decorations (for example, adding a title bar). Re-parenting can also be used to add the contents of one window to another. For example, a [[flash player]] application can be re-parented to a browser window, and can appear to the user as supposedly being part of that program. Re-parenting window managers can therefore arrange one or more programs within the same window, and can easily combine [[tiling window manager|tiling]] and [[stacking window manager|stacking]] in various ways.

{{Further|Re-parenting window manager}}

=== Microsoft Windows ===
<!-- {{see|Windows XP|Stacking window manager}} -->
{{Expand section|date=August 2011}}
Microsoft Windows has provided an integrated stacking window manager since [[Windows 2.0]]; [[Windows Vista]] introduced the compositing [[Desktop Window Manager]] (dwm.exe) as an optional hardware-accelerated alternative. In Windows, since [[Graphics Device Interface|GDI]] is part of the kernel,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://windowsitpro.com/Windows/Articles/ArticleID/2469/pg/2/2.html|title=Windows NT 4.0|author=Pleas|first=Keith|date=April 1996|website=Windows IT Pro|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310105758/http://www.windowsitpro.com/Windows/Articles/ArticleID/2469/pg/2/2.html/|archive-date=March 10, 2007|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref> the role of the window manager is tightly coupled with the kernel's graphical subsystems and is largely non-replaceable, although [[Tiling window manager#Third-party addons|third-party utilities]] can be used to simulate a tiling window manager on top of such systems. Since [[Windows 8]], the [[Direct3D]]-based Desktop Window Manager can no longer be disabled.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/w8cookbook/desktop-window-manager-is-always-on|title=Desktop Window Manager is always on - Win32 apps|website=docs.microsoft.com}}</ref> It can only be restarted with the hotkey combination Ctrl+Shift+Win+B.<ref>[https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/4496075/windows-10-troubleshooting-black-or-blank-screens Troubleshooting black or blank screens in Windows 10]</ref>

[[Windows Explorer]] (explorer.exe) is used by default as the ''[[shell (computing)|shell]]'' in modern Windows systems to provide a taskbar and file manager, along with many functions of a window manager; aspects of Windows can be modified through the provided configuration utilities, modifying the [[Windows Registry]] or with 3rd party tools, such as [[WindowBlinds]] or [[Resource Hacker]].

A complete X Windows Server, allowing the use of window managers ported from the unixoid world can also be provided for Microsoft Windows through [[Cygwin/X]] even in ''multiwindow'' mode (and by other X Window System implementations). Thereby, it is easily possible to e.g. have X Window System client programs running either in the same Cygwin environment on the same machine, or on a Linux, BSD Unix etc. system via the network, and only their GUI being displayed and usable on top of the Microsoft Windows environment.

Note that Microsoft and X Window System use different terms to describe similar concepts. For example, there is rarely any mention of the term ''window manager'' by Microsoft because it is integrated and non-replaceable, and distinct from the ''[[shell (computing)|shell]]''.{{Clarify|reason=Which shell?|date=October 2021}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-10-26|title=Yes, there's a new desktop window manager, but no, I don't know any more about it than you do|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20091026-00/?p=16273|access-date=2021-10-06|website=The Old New Thing|language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Windows Shell]] is analogous to the [[desktop environment]] concept in other graphical user interface systems.

=== ChromeOS ===
Since 2021 [[ChromeOS]] is shipped with its own window manager called Ash.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=ash - chromium/src - Git at Google|url=https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/refs/heads/main/ash/|access-date=2021-10-06|website=chromium.googlesource.com}}</ref> Chromium and ash share common [[codebase]].<ref name=":0" /> In the past one could run it by using {{Code|google-chrome --open-ash}} on any compatible systems.