Enhanced Motif Window Manager

EMWM is a fork of the Motif Window Manager with fixes and enhancements. The idea behind this is to provide compatibility with current xorg extensions and applications, without changing the way the window manager looks and behaves. This includes support for multi-monitor setups through Xinerama/Xrandr, UFT-8 support with Xft fonts, and overall better compatibility with software that requires Extended Window Manager Hints.

Additionally a couple of goodies are available in the separate utilities package: XmToolbox, a toolchest like application launcher, which reads it's multi-level menu structure from a simple plain-text file ~/.toolboxrc, and XmSm, a simple session manager that provides session configuration, locking and shutdown/suspend options.

Downloads

EMWM - Window Manager Source Code

emwm-src-1.3.1.tar.xz Stable Release 1.3.1 (Aug 02 2025)

Utilities (Session Manager and Toolbox) Source Code

emwm-utils-src-1.3.tar.xz Stable Release 1.3 (Mar 11 2025)

EMWM - Window Manager, WSM Branch (Alpha) Source Code

emwm-wsm-src-alpha.tar.xz Unstable(Aug 02 2025)
This is a tested snapshot of the WSM (restored support for multiple desktops/workspaces) development branch. Make sure to read the README. Not recommended for everyday use.

You can contribute by making a one-time donation via Stripe, or supporting further development via Liberapay.

See the included README file for build instructions. Everything is usually tested on FreeBSD and some GNU/Linux. If you have a question that isn't answered in the FAQ or manpages, feel free to contact me (Alex) via e-mail: mail@fastestcode.org. There is also a public mailing list at emwm-discuss@lists.sourceforge.net

Notable changes in the latest release:

• Version 1.3.1 is a maintenance release, fixing compilation issues with newer compilers.

Complete revision history: emwm-changes.txt • utils-changes.txt

Additional Resources

FAQ/Guide on setting up EMWM and Motif based applications in general.

Xresources configuration sample (as seen in some of the screenshots below) is also available here. Additionally, GTK 2/3 (~/.gtkrc-2.0 and ~/.config/gtk-3.0/gtk.css) config files that go along with it (well... as much as possible anyway).

app-icons.tar.xz (Updated Jul 10 2025)
Generic 48x48 application icons. Authentic pixelart. Intended for applications, which don't specify their own icon, or as replacement (see emwm(1) iconImage resource).

xc-core-hr.tar.xz (Updated Dec 26 2024)
Sharp-edged (as in non-blurry) X11 cursor theme. Based on original core cursors appearance, in two sizes (24 and 32 px) which work well for screens around 100 to 150 DPI. See the included README for details.

xmdlgicons.tar.xz (Updated Jul 17 2025)
Higher resolution icon sets for standard Motif dialog boxes. These are styled differently than built in ones. Includes two sets of pixmaps, which should work for around 100 to 150 DPI screens, respectively. See included README file for information on where to install these.

Screenshots

Click for a larger picture.

Trivia

Git repositories and distfiles archived/mirrored on SourceForge and Github.

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See also XFile • XImaging • Misc. X Stuff • Homepage About