Desktop/Window managers

By default, Ubuntu Desktop uses the GNOME Desktop Environment with the Mutter Window Manager.

You can also use a different window manager without a Desktop Environment. Many developers, for example, use a dedicated tiling window manager to manage multiple windows more easily.

Since Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka, Ubuntu Desktop is Wayland-only by default. One of the most popular tiling window manager for Wayland is Sway.

This guide shows you how to install and use it on Ubuntu.

Install Sway

Update your packages:

sudo apt update -y

Install Sway:

sudo apt install sway

Open a Sway environment

Log out of Ubuntu.

In the login screen, select the gear icon at the bottom right of the screen.

Select Sway and continue to log in.

Using Sway

By default, the Sway configuration is highly minimal.

super+enter opens a terminal.

Open another terminal and the windows automatically split across the screen.

Configuring Sway

To configure Sway, edit ~/.config/sway/sway.conf. Create the configuration directory and file if they do not exist already.

Sway is a window manager, not a desktop environment. Sway user typically build a minimal desktop environment around Sway, by adding components like a fuzzy finder and status bars.

For more information on configuration, refer to the Sway wiki.

Getting back to default Ubuntu

Even with Sway installed, you can always switch back to the regular Ubuntu Desktop environment.

From Sway, press shift+mod+e and confirm logout.

Then, from the login screen, select Ubuntu.