KDE Mover-Sizer: Ultimate Guide to Positioning and Resizing Windows

KDE Mover-Sizer: Ultimate Guide to Positioning and Resizing WindowsKDE Plasma is celebrated for its flexibility and fine-grained control over the desktop environment. One of the less-known but highly useful utilities for users who want pixel-perfect window control is KDE Mover-Sizer. This guide explains what KDE Mover-Sizer does, why you might use it, how to install and configure it, practical workflows and shortcuts, troubleshooting tips, and advanced integrations for automation and scripting.

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What is KDE Mover-Sizer?

KDE Mover-Sizer is a lightweight tool (or script/plugin depending on distribution) that enables precise manual positioning and resizing of application windows in KDE Plasma. It complements standard window management features by offering direct control—normally via keyboard shortcuts, mouse modifiers, or a small GUI—so you can place windows at exact coordinates, size them to specific dimensions, or move/resize them relative to the current position.

Typical capabilities include:

• Move window to an absolute X,Y coordinate on the screen.
• Resize window to explicit width × height values.
• Move and resize with relative offsets (e.g., move +50 px right, -20 px up).
• Snap windows to edges, corners, or predefined grids.
• Save and restore window geometry for apps or specific tasks.

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Why use KDE Mover-Sizer?

KDE already includes robust window management: window snapping, activities, tiling scripts, and KWin window rules. KDE Mover-Sizer adds value when you need:

• Pixel-perfect placement for multi-monitor layouts or design workflows.
• Consistent window geometry across sessions for development, streaming, or demos.
• Fast keyboard-driven layout adjustments without dragging windows with the mouse.
• Small-screen or high-DPI setups where snapping doesn’t yield desired sizes.
• Automation: scripting window arrangements for repeating tasks.

Benefits at a glance

• Precise control beyond standard snapping and tiling.
• Faster reproducible layouts via shortcuts or saved presets.
• Helpful for power users, streamers, designers, and developers.

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Installation

How KDE Mover-Sizer is installed depends on how the tool is distributed for your platform. Below are common approaches.

1. Distribution package (recommended)

• Search your package manager: some distros include mover-sizer-like utilities or KDE scripting extensions.
  • Debian/Ubuntu: apt search mover-sizer kde
  • Fedora: dnf search mover-sizer
  • Arch/Manjaro: pacman -Ss mover-sizer
• Install the matching package (if available).

1. Install from GitHub or script repository

• Many community tools are distributed as shell/python scripts that interact with KWin via KWin scripting or xdotool/wmctrl.
• Typical steps:
  • Clone repo: git clone
  • Make executable: chmod +x mover-sizer
  • Move to ~/bin or /usr/local/bin and add to PATH.

1. KWin script or Plasma widget

• Some implementations are provided as KWin scripts or Plasma widgets. Install via System Settings → Window Management → KWin Scripts or Desktop Widgets.

1. Using xdotool/wmctrl as a fallback

• If a dedicated mover-sizer tool isn’t available, you can create similar functionality using xdotool and wmctrl with simple scripts that query and set window geometry.

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Basic usage patterns

Below are common operations and how to perform them conceptually. Exact commands depend on the implementation you install—many use a consistent set of parameters.

1. Move to absolute coordinates

• Move the focused window to position (X, Y).
• Use: mover-sizer move –x 100 –y 50
• Use-case: place a tool palette on the left monitor at precise location.

1. Resize to exact dimensions

• Resize focused window to width W and height H.
• Use: mover-sizer resize –width 1280 –height 720
• Use-case: prepare a reproducible streaming scene or screenshot size.

1. Move and resize in one command

• Combine position and size.
• Use: mover-sizer move –x 0 –y 0 –width 960 –height 1080

1. Relative adjustments

• Move or resize by offsets.
• Use: mover-sizer move –dx 50 –dy -20
• Use-case: nudge windows while arranging multiple apps.

1. Snap to edges and corners

• Snap focused window to left/right/top/bottom or corners with exact dimensions (e.g., half-screen).
• Use: mover-sizer snap –corner top-left or snap –area left-half

1. Save and restore geometry

• Save geometry for app (by window class or title) and restore later.
• Use: mover-sizer save –name “EditorLeft”
• Use: mover-sizer restore –name “EditorLeft”

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Keyboard shortcuts and integration with KDE

Assign keyboard shortcuts so mover-sizer becomes part of your muscle memory.

• System Settings → Shortcuts → Custom Shortcuts

  • Create a new Global Shortcut (Command/URL) binding specific mover-sizer commands.
  • Examples:
    • Meta+Alt+Left: mover-sizer snap –area left-half
    • Meta+Alt+1: mover-sizer restore –name “TerminalMain”
    • Meta+Shift+Up: mover-sizer resize –height +50

• KWin window rules

  • Combine mover-sizer with KWin window rules to set initial geometry for specific apps (useful for apps that don’t remember size).

• Plasma panels and widgets

  • Expose presets in a small Plasma widget for mouse-driven selection of layouts.

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Example workflows

1. Development workspace

• Restore terminal at left half, code editor centered at 1280×900, browser on right monitor at full height.
  • Save presets for each app; bind each to a single shortcut or script.

1. Streaming/recording setup

• Resize and place OBS to a fixed 1280×720 window for preview, move chat window to small overlay position.
  • Use move+resize commands in a “Start Stream” script to arrange windows automatically.

1. Multi-monitor photography workflow

• Position image viewer and file manager across two monitors with exact alignment for drag-and-drop consistency.

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Troubleshooting

• Commands have no effect
  • Ensure the window is focused or specify window by window ID/class.
  • Confirm the tool has permission to interact with windows (Wayland vs X11 differences).
• Wayland limitations
  • Many window-manipulation tools rely on X11 (xdotool/wmctrl). Under Wayland, KWin scripting or native KDE APIs are required—install a KWin script version compatible with Wayland.
• Window managers override moves
  • KWin rules or app-specific behavior can override geometry. Disable conflicting KWin rules.
• Off-screen windows
  • If a window disappears off-screen after moving, use a restore command or reset to center.

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Advanced: scripting and automation

• Shell scripting

  • Create scripts that call mover-sizer sequentially to build complex layouts.
  • Example (bash):

    
    #!/bin/bash mover-sizer restore --name "TerminalLeft" mover-sizer restore --name "EditorCenter" mover-sizer move --class "Firefox" --x 1920 --y 0 --width 1366 --height 1080 

• KWin scripting (Wayland-friendly)

  • Use KWin JavaScript API to interact with windows more robustly on Plasma Wayland.
  • KWin scripts can respond to screen changes, activities, and window events.

• Combine with automation tools

  • Use Autokey or custom Plasma widgets to trigger complex sequences.

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Alternatives and complementary tools

Tool	Strengths	Best for
KWin built-in tiling & rules	Integrated, Wayland-friendly	Persistent per-app rules and simple tiling
xdotool + wmctrl	Scriptable, widely available	X11 environments, lightweight scripts
KWin scripts	API-level control	Wayland support, event-driven automation
Third-party mover/resize utilities	Specific features or GUIs	Users needing dedicated GUI tools or presets

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Security and Wayland considerations

• Wayland restricts arbitrary window control for security. Prefer KWin scripts or official KDE APIs for Wayland sessions.
• Avoid running untrusted mover-sizer scripts since they can read window titles and manipulate windows.

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Final tips

• Start small: create a few presets for your most-used apps, then expand.
• Use meaningful names for saved geometries (e.g., “StreamChatTopRight”).
• Combine keyboard shortcuts with a small “arrange” script to set up full workspaces with one keypress.
• Test behavior under both X11 and Wayland; adjust tools accordingly.

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KDE Mover-Sizer fills a useful niche between automatic tiling and manual dragging, giving you reproducible, pixel-perfect control over window placement. Whether you’re a developer, designer, streamer, or power user, once you incorporate precise mover-resize workflows into your routine, arranging windows becomes fast, exact, and repeatable.