# i3 for Mac: the closest i3 and sway setups on macOS Source: https://chainyourmac.com/i3-for-mac Updated: 2026-09-18 · Author: Ahmed Gagan (maker of ChainYourMac) i3 is an X11 window manager and sway is a Wayland compositor, so neither runs on a Mac. **The workflow does.** Here's which macOS tool matches which part of i3, mapped concept by concept. > **tl;dr:** i3 and sway don't run on macOS. If you want i3's model (manual tree tiling, workspaces, everything on the keyboard), the closest Mac tool is [AeroSpace](https://github.com/nikitabobko/AeroSpace), which is free and calls itself "i3-like". GlazeWM now runs on macOS too, and yabai does BSP tiling. If what you really liked about i3 was *never reaching for the mouse and windows that stay where you put them*, a scrolling window manager like [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) may suit you better. ## Why i3 and sway can't run on a Mac [i3](https://i3wm.org) is an "improved tiling X11 window manager" for GNU/Linux and BSD. Sway is its Wayland twin: an "i3-compatible Wayland compositor" for Linux. Both depend on the Linux display stack. macOS has its own window server, and no third-party app can replace it. So every Mac option is a different kind of program: a normal app that moves other apps' windows through macOS's Accessibility API, while Apple keeps drawing everything. That's why none of them is a drop-in i3. Each one copies part of the model and has to live with macOS rules, like the fact that windows can't be pushed fully off screen. ## First, figure out which part of i3 you actually miss "I want i3 on my Mac" usually means one of two things: 1. **The i3 model itself.** A tree of splits you build by hand, numbered workspaces, tabbed and stacked containers, and a plain-text config you keep in your dotfiles. You want a faithful copy. 2. **The feeling i3 gave you.** Hands on the keyboard, every window reachable in a keystroke, and no overlapping mess. You don't care much about trees or splits. If you're in camp 1, go with AeroSpace or GlazeWM. If you're in camp 2, keep reading, because a newer model called scrolling tiling might fit better than any i3 clone. ## The i3-like options on macOS ### AeroSpace: the closest thing to i3 [AeroSpace](https://github.com/nikitabobko/AeroSpace) describes itself as an "i3-like tiling window manager for macOS" and uses a tree, just like i3. It's free (MIT), needs macOS 13 or later, and never asks you to touch SIP. You configure it in `~/.aerospace.toml`, and the project says it "will never have a configuration GUI". If you think in config files, that's a plus. A few things to know (as of September 2026, v0.21.3-Beta): it's still a public beta that warns of breaking changes until 1.0, and it isn't notarized, so you install it through its Homebrew cask. It also uses its own emulated workspaces and ignores macOS Spaces. Windows on inactive workspaces are parked in a screen corner. More: [ChainYourMac vs AeroSpace](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-aerospace) and [AeroSpace alternatives](https://chainyourmac.com/aerospace-alternatives). ### GlazeWM: new on macOS [GlazeWM](https://github.com/glzr-io/glazewm) is "inspired by i3wm" and was Windows-only until v3.10.0 (March 16, 2026), when it became cross-platform. It's GPL-3.0 and installs with `brew install --cask glzr-io/tap/glazewm`. The Mac version is only a few months old, so check its README and open issues before relying on it for daily work. ### yabai: BSP tiling [yabai](https://github.com/asmvik/yabai) tiles automatically with binary space partitioning, which is more bspwm than i3. It has no built-in hotkeys; you pair it with skhd or another hotkey tool. Tiling works with SIP enabled; extras like space management need SIP partially disabled ([details here](https://chainyourmac.com/yabai-without-sip)). ## i3 concepts, mapped to the Mac The table below shows how i3 ideas map onto AeroSpace and ChainYourMac. ChainYourMac shortcuts are the defaults on fresh installs, and all of them can be rebound. | i3 / sway | AeroSpace | ChainYourMac | |---|---|---| | Focus with $mod + direction | Bindings you set in the TOML config | Option+H/J/K/L or Option+arrows | | Move window with $mod+Shift + direction | Bindings you set in the TOML config | Option+Shift+H/J/K/L or arrows | | Layout model | Tree of splits (i3-like) | Endless horizontal strip of columns | | Tabbed / stacked containers | Accordion layout | Tabbed columns (Option+T) and stacks (Option+] / Option+[) | | Resize | Via config bindings | Option+R cycles width presets; Ctrl+Option+Shift+= / - wider/narrower | | Fullscreen a window | Via config bindings | Option+F full width | | Floating toggle | See the README | Ctrl+Option+T | | Workspaces | Its own emulated workspaces | Works with macOS Spaces; one strip per display | | Config | ~/.aerospace.toml, no GUI | GUI (TOML file exists, but you never have to edit it) | | Price | Free, MIT | $9.99 one time, lifetime license | The biggest difference is the layout model. In i3 you split containers by hand, and every new window takes space from its neighbours. ChainYourMac doesn't split anything. It adds the new window as a new column on a strip, so nothing else shrinks. ## The other option: stop splitting, start scrolling If your i3 day usually looks like two or three windows on screen and the rest tucked into other workspaces or tabs, scrolling tiling may suit you. It's the model behind Niri and PaperWM, and it drops the split bookkeeping. Windows sit side by side on an endless horizontal strip. Opening one never resizes the others. You move along the strip with the keyboard or a trackpad swipe. [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) is a native scrolling window manager for Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) running macOS 13 Ventura or later. It's a SwiftUI app with a Rust engine, notarized by Apple, and it doesn't need any SIP changes. For an i3 user, the parts that carry over: - **Vim-style keys by default.** Option+H/J/K/L to focus, add Shift to move. The shortcut recorder handles AZERTY, QWERTZ and Dvorak, and an action can have several shortcuts. - **Tabs and stacks.** Put several windows in one column as a stack, or turn a column into tabs, which covers what you used i3's stacked and tabbed layouts for. - **Per-app rules.** Float the apps that shouldn't tile, like your for_window rules. - **Scriptable.** A `chainyourmac` CLI, a `chainyourmac://` URL scheme and Raycast script commands. Honest limits: it's paid, closed source and Apple silicon only. macOS won't let any app push a window fully off screen, so a small sliver of a hidden window can show in a bottom corner (setting "Gap at Screen Edges" to 0 hides almost all of it). Want to feel the model before deciding? Try the live demo on this page. It's a working model of ChainYourMac, not a video. For a free scrolling option, [OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm) offers Niri-style scrolling plus a BSP layout, but needs macOS 26 Tahoe. On Linux, dawsers/scroll is a sway fork with a PaperWM-style layout, in case you want scrolling on both machines. ## Who should use what ### Use AeroSpace if… - you want i3's tree model as close to the original as you can get on a Mac; - you're happy editing a TOML file and installing through Homebrew; - free and open source matters to you. ### Try GlazeWM if… - you already use it on Windows and want the same tool on your Mac, and you're OK with a young macOS port. ### Use yabai if… - you'd rather have automatic BSP tiling than build splits by hand. ### Use ChainYourMac if… - you liked i3 because of the keyboard, not because of the tree; - you're tired of every new window squeezing the ones you already had; - you want native macOS Spaces, trackpad swipes and a GUI instead of a config repo. **Keyboard-driven like i3. Calm like a strip.** Option+H/J/K/L to move around, windows that never reflow, and a GUI for every setting. No SIP changes, no config file to maintain. Price and checkout: https://chainyourmac.com/#pricing (one-time purchase, lifetime license; macOS 13+ on Apple silicon). ## FAQ ### Can I install i3 on macOS? No. [i3](https://i3wm.org) is a tiling window manager for X11 on GNU/Linux and BSD, and macOS doesn't use X11 for its desktop. Sway is a Wayland compositor for Linux, so it can't run either. On a Mac you use a tool that recreates the workflow: [AeroSpace](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-aerospace) is the one that describes itself as i3-like. ### What is the best i3 alternative for Mac? If you want i3's tree tiling and workspaces, try [AeroSpace](https://github.com/nikitabobko/AeroSpace): free, i3-like, TOML config, no SIP changes. If what you loved was never touching the mouse while your windows stay put, try a scrolling window manager like [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/), where opening a window never resizes the others. ### Is there a sway for Mac? No. Sway is an i3-compatible Wayland compositor, and macOS's own compositor can't be replaced. The Mac options are the same as for i3: AeroSpace, GlazeWM (which has run on macOS since March 2026) or yabai for classic tiling, and ChainYourMac or OmniWM for scrolling. ### Does GlazeWM work on Mac? Yes, since v3.10.0 (March 2026) [GlazeWM](https://github.com/glzr-io/glazewm) is cross-platform and installs with `brew install --cask glzr-io/tap/glazewm`. The macOS version is new, so check its README and issues for what works on your setup. ### Do I need to disable SIP to get i3-style tiling on a Mac? No. AeroSpace never needs SIP changes, and ChainYourMac doesn't either. yabai's tiling also works with SIP enabled; only some extras (like space management and window animations) need SIP partially disabled. Details: [yabai without SIP](https://chainyourmac.com/yabai-without-sip). ## Related - [ChainYourMac vs AeroSpace](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-aerospace) — i3-style tree tiling vs the strip — and the Spaces question. - [AeroSpace alternatives](https://chainyourmac.com/aerospace-alternatives) — Seven Mac window managers for people leaving AeroSpace. - [ChainYourMac vs yabai](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-yabai) — Scrolling strip vs BSP tiling — and the SIP question. - [Scrolling window managers, explained](https://chainyourmac.com/what-is-a-scrolling-window-manager) — The strip model, and how scrolling differs from tiling.