MoveWindow (a.k.a. mvwin)

This script moves windows between monitors for these Linux desktop environments (DEs):

• XFCE4 (which provides no shortcuts for doing so)
• KDE/Plasma (which provides shortcuts but the moved window may move below others and the mouse is left behind; this script does the move more perfectly but looks rather klunky when Compositor is running)
• Mate
• Cinnamon
• perhaps other linux desktops but w/o adjustment for its panels

When mvwin moves a window, it is force fit into the destination monitor w/o overlapping its panels (unless fullscreen); this will reduce its size if needed.

If the window is fullscreen or maximized horizotonally or vertically, mvwin preserves those attributes in the move; so, sometimes windows are enlarged when moved.

Caveats.

• Your DE must be running under X (not Wayland).
• The underlying commands (i.e., xrandr, xwininfo, wmctrl and xdotool) are all hacks that only mostly work, and their defects vary between window managers.
• If the window is maximized horizontally and/or vertically, the movement is more likely to be faulty than when not maximized.
• Imperfect movements are minimized for each DE with custom workarounds, but there are a few imperfections w/o a known workaround.
• This script is only tested for non-autohide panels; if used, your experience may vary.

KDE Alternative. A companion project, joedefen/KWin-move-win-directionally-script, provides similar functionality for KDE, should run under Wayland, and runs much more efficiently. It ensures the moved window is raised to the top (unliked the KDE built-in moves), but it leaves the mouse behind just like the built-in moves (because KWin scripting offers no practical way to move the mouse evidently). Personally, I use the mvwin command, turn off KDE's compositor to make it run much smoother, and appreciate the mouse moving with the window (which also make activation of the moved window more certain).

Command Line Arguments

mvwin [-h] [-r] [-d] [-p {x,y}] [-P] [--DB] [-w WIN_ID] {left,right,up,down,next,prev,here}

positional arguments:
  {left,right,up,down,next,prev,here} - choose direction of movement

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -r, --ratio           keep window ratio
  -d, --disable-mouse   disable moving the mouse
  -p {x,y}, --post_sort {x,y}
                        Sorts displays by coordinate
  -P, --no-panel-adjust
                        defeat adjustment for desktop panels
  --DB                  print debugging info
  -w WIN_ID, --win-id WIN_ID
                        specify ID of window

Description

Relocated windows are made to fit, made active, raised, and will contain the mouse.

• Unless fullscreen, moved windows do not overlap XFCE4 and Mate panels (unless defeated using -P which you may wish to use if you use hidden panels).
• Similarly, for KDE/Plasma, but identifying panels is a guessing game; the heuristic rule is that a "panel" must be on an edge of a display and take up at least 70% of the length of that edge.

The window geometry is preserved as best possible but constrained within the new monitor. Optionally (-r), the window will keep the same proportions in the new monitor instead of minimally adjusting the size to fit.

By default, the active window is chosen to move, but you can specify another window by its "window ID" (e.g., as shown by wmctrl -l).

The monitor is determined by specifying one of:

• left, right, up, or down - direction relative to the current monitor
• next, prev - move in an arbitrary rotation through monitors
• here - same screen

"Next" is determined by the monitor sort order:

• the -p1 option which sorts the monitors by the x- or y- coordinate of the upper left corner of the monitors.
• if the monitors are arranged vertically, the monitors are sorted from top to bottom.
• if the monitors are arranged horizontally, the monitors are sorted from left to right.
• in any other monitor arrangement, the monitors are sorted in a clockwise manner.

If you choose here or a monitor that does not exist (e.g., right of a rightmost monitor), then the chosen window will simply be made to fit within current monitor if it does not already.

In practice, you define keyboard shortcuts and tie them to this script. Personally, I define four shortcuts:

• ALT-J - mvwin down # move active window down
• ALT-K - mvwin up # move active window up
• ALT-H - mvwin left # move active window left
• ALT-L - mvwin right # move active window right

The JKHL keys mimic the directional keys in vim, and ALT-Right-Click is used to resize windows; so ALT works out well as the "Window" alteration key. For debuging, run mvwin manually in a terminal window and use --DB option to print values that it found and computed.

Installation (Manual)

Download mvwn, make it executable, and place mvwin on your PATH, and define keyboard shortcuts per your Desktop guidance.

Dependencies

• python 3.4+
• X-Windows tools:
  • xrandr
  • xwininfo
  • wmctrl
  • xdotool

If the tool is missing, try sudo apt install {tool} or the equivalent install method for your distro.

Again, Wayland is not supported.

Credits / Alternatives

This script is loosely derived from the script/concepts in calandoa/movescreen

Use movescreen if python 3.4+ is not available.

Relative to movescreen, mvwin force fits the window within the new monitor, and generally, I think, is a more bug free and much less annoying (e.g., avoids overlapping panels, always fits windows, less geometry "loss" with multiple moves, etc.).

This script is tested on four monitors of different sizes and orientations and with all the mentioned DEs in the introductory section.