maomaowm/docs/quick-start.md
2026-03-12 10:31:29 +05:30

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Quick Start Basic configuration and first steps with mangowm.

Now that you have mangowm installed, let's get your environment set up.

Initial Setup

  1. Create Configuration Directory

    mangowm looks for configuration files in ~/.config/mango/.

    mkdir -p ~/.config/mango
    
  2. Copy Default Config

    A default configuration file is provided at /etc/mango/config.conf. Copy it to your local directory to start customizing.

    cp /etc/mango/config.conf ~/.config/mango/config.conf
    
  3. Launch mangowm

    You can now start the compositor from your TTY.

    mango
    

    Optional: To specify a custom config file path:

    mango -c /path/to/your/config.conf
    

Essential Keybindings

mangowm uses the following keybinds by default:

Key Combination Action
Alt + Return Open Terminal (defaults to foot)
Alt + Space Open Launcher (defaults to rofi)
Alt + Q Close (Kill) the active window
Super + M Quit mangowm
Super + F Toggle Fullscreen
Alt + Arrow Keys Move focus (Left, Right, Up, Down)
Ctrl + 1-9 Switch to Tag 1-9
Alt + 1-9 Move window to Tag 1-9

Warning: Some default bindings rely on specific tools like foot (terminal) and rofi (launcher). Ensure you have them installed or update your config.conf to use your preferred alternatives.

To get a fully functional desktop experience, we recommend installing the following components:

Category Recommended Tools
Application Launcher rofi, bemenu, wmenu, fuzzel
Terminal Emulator foot, wezterm, alacritty, kitty, ghostty
Status Bar waybar, eww, quickshell, ags
Desktop Shell Noctalia, DankMaterialShell
Wallpaper Setup swww, swaybg
Notification Daemon swaync, dunst, mako
Desktop Portal xdg-desktop-portal, xdg-desktop-portal-wlr, xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
Clipboard wl-clipboard, wl-clip-persist, cliphist
Gamma Control / Night Light wlsunset, gammastep
Miscellaneous xfce-polkit, wlogout

Example Configuration

Check out the example configuration by the creator of mangowm, including complete setups for mangowm, Waybar, Rofi, and more.

git clone https://github.com/DreamMaoMao/mango-config.git ~/.config/mango

Next Steps

Now that you are up and running, dive deeper into customizing mangowm:

  • Configure Monitors — Set up resolution, scaling, and multi-monitor layouts.
  • Window Rules — Define how specific applications should behave.
  • Appearance — Customize colors, borders, gaps, and effects.