tiled-header-v2b.png 71.9 KB

Hi friend,

The first time Omarchy finished booting, I just sat there looking at a pretty wallpaper and a thin bar across the top. No Start button. No dock. No desktop icons. I moved the mouse around hoping something would pop up. Nothing did.

I had been reading all the posts on X about Omarchy, so I wasn't totally surprised by this, but it was still unsettling. But at least I knew from watching a video or two that I could find the menu by typing Super+Spacebar. (Of course, knowing what "Super" meant was another matter, but that was covered in last week's newsletter.) So I was off to the races.

Here's what I wish someone had told me in that first hour.

Meet the Super key

Nearly everything in Omarchy starts with the Super key. On a PC keyboard, that's the Windows key. On a Mac keyboard, it's Command, so it's right where your thumb already expects it.

When you see something like Super + Space, it means "hold Super, tap Space."

Your new Start menu: Super + Space

Press Super + Space. This opens the Omarchy menu, which is your Start menu, Spotlight, *and* Settings rolled into one. Start typing to filter. It launches apps, changes settings, installs software, takes screenshots, and more.

Want just a list of apps? Super + Alt + Space opens an apps-only menu.

Prefer the mouse? Click the Omarchy logo at the left end of the top bar. It opens the same menu.

Why do my windows keep moving?!

This is the big one. Omarchy uses Hyprland, a tiling window manager. Here's the difference:

• On Windows or a Mac, windows *float*. You drag them around, and they overlap like papers on a desk.
• In Omarchy, windows *tile*. Open one app and it fills the screen. Open a second and the screen splits between them. Open a third and they split again. Nothing ever hides behind anything else.

Try it: press Super + Return (Return is the Enter key) to open a terminal, then Super + Shift + Return to open the web browser. Watch them share the screen.

A few moves to try right away:

• Super + arrow keys switch which window you're working in (the "active" one).
• Super + Shift + arrow keys swap the active window with its neighbor.
• Super + J flips two windows between side by side and stacked on top of each other.
• Hold Super and drag with the left mouse button to move a window. Hold Super and drag with the right button to resize it.
• Super + F makes the active window full screen. Press it again to go back.
• Super + T pops a window out to float like you're used to. Press it again to tile it back. (The manual gently suggests giving tiling "a real chance first," and I agree.)

I have to confess that after only a month in Omarchy, I'm still getting used to tiled windows. More than once I've done Super + J then panicked when I couldn't figure out how to get the hidden window back. The answer, of course, it to do Super + J again, which returns the screen to tiled windows. Or use other keybindings like Alt + Tab to find the window you want. Play around with those keybindings to see what they do! There's frequently more than one way to do something, and whatever you choose to use regularly is up to you.

Closing things (and one warning)

Super + W closes the window you're in. And unlike on a Mac, closing the window really does quit the app.

⚠️ Windows folks, read this twice: in Omarchy, Ctrl + Alt + Delete closes *all* your windows. It's not a Task Manager shortcut. Save your work before you try it out of old habit.

Workspaces: your extra desks

*Workspaces* are like Mac "Spaces" or Windows "virtual desktops": separate screens you can flip between. In Omarchy you'll actually use them, because switching is instant.

• Super + 1, 2, 3, 4 jump to that workspace.
• Super + Shift + 1 (or 2, 3, 4) sends the active window to that workspace.
• Super + Tab goes to the next workspace.

You'll see workspace indicators at the left of the top bar, and you can click them too.

I use multiple workspaces all the time. It certainly beats having a bajillion ever-smaller windows on the screen! Being a bit ADHD, I skip around between browser (in workspace 1), email (in workspace 2), X (in workspace 3), etc. I really ought to be consistent about which workspace I use for each app, but at the moment I sometimes forget where things are, and have to click through several of them to find what I want. Luckily, that's done pretty quickly, but it would be better to just be organized to begin with. I'm getting there, but it takes time to relearn years of muscle memory.

Where are the settings?

There's no big Settings app. Instead:

• The top bar icons on the right open little panels for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound, display, and battery. They have keyboard shortcuts too: Super + Ctrl + W for Wi-Fi, Super + Ctrl + B for Bluetooth, and Super + Ctrl + A for audio. Try right-clicking the icons as well; many do something extra.
• The Setup section of the Omarchy menu (Super + Space) handles deeper settings like monitors, keyboard, and mouse. Heads-up: these open text files in an editor called Neovim. To save and exit, type :wq and press Enter. If that feels scary, you can change the editor under Setup > Defaults > Editor.

Two surprises worth knowing

• Everything looks huge? Omarchy assumes a high-resolution ("retina") screen. On a regular 1080p monitor, tap Super + / to step through display sizes until it looks right.
• Caps Lock doesn't work? It's on purpose. Omarchy turns Caps Lock into a "compose" key for typing emoji and special characters. The manual explains how to change it back if you need to. Find the manual in the Omarchy menu (Super + Spacebar) under "Learn".

Shutting down

• Super + Escape opens the system menu with suspend, restart, and shut down. Super + Ctrl + L locks your screen.

The one shortcut to remember

If you forget everything else: Super + K shows a list of every shortcut. It's the only one the manual says you *have* to memorize.

A New Email

If you don't use X, where this newsletter is @omarchyftrou, you can now send us email at ftrou@mail.grokbot.com and my Newsletter Bot will make sure I see it. You can still use "Reply to sender" in your email client, too, of course.

---

How did your first hour go? Hit reply and tell me what surprised you. I'll share the best (anonymous!) stories in a future issue.

Warmly,
Katherine

Coming next issue: Some applications you might worry about missing. The number 1 issue against changing operating systems may not really be a problem.