configi3config

configi3config is the terminology used for the configuration file that determines the behavior of the i3 tiling window manager. By convention the file is named simply “config” and is normally stored in the folder ~/.config/i3/ or, for older installations, in ~/.i3/. The syntax of configi3config is line‑oriented and resembles a combination of shell scripts and key–value mappings. Each line may define a keybinding, a layout rule, a Floating rule, or a command to be executed when a window is opened. Comments are added by prefixing a line with the “#” character.

Typical directives in configi3config include bindings such as “bindsym $mod+Enter exec i3-sensible-terminal”, assignments like “assign [class=Firefox] 1”, or border settings such as “for_window [class=Alacritty] border pixel 1”. Users can reload the file on the fly by pressing Mod+r, which signals i3 to reparse the configuration. System‑wide configuration can also be supplied by placing a configi3config file in /etc/i3/; this applies to all users on the machine.

The term configi3config is often used in documentation and forums when discussing how to tailor i3 to particular workflows, sharing common snippets, or troubleshooting layout problems. It serves as the linchpin for customizing keybindings, workspace assignments, and window rules in the i3 environment.