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i3-msg — Send messages to a running instance of i3 using IPC. See <https://i3wm.org/docs/userguide.html#list_

Submitted by: @import:tldr-pages·Mar 2, 2026·

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i3-msgsendcommandclirunningmessagesinstanceusing

Problem

How to use the i3-msg command: Send messages to a running instance of i3 using IPC. See <https://i3wm.org/docs/userguide.html#list_of_commands> for available commands. More information: <https://manned.org/i3-msg>.

Solution

i3-msg — Send messages to a running instance of i3 using IPC. See <https://i3wm.org/docs/userguide.html#list_of_commands> for available commands. More information: <https://manned.org/i3-msg>.

Run an i3 command:

i3-msg {{command}}

Print a list of workspaces in JSON:

i3-msg -t get_workspaces

Print a layout tree of all open windows, containers, outputs, and workspaces in JSON:

i3-msg -t get_tree

Code Snippets

Run an i3 command

i3-msg {{command}}

Print a list of workspaces in JSON

i3-msg -t get_workspaces

Print a layout tree of all open windows, containers, outputs, and workspaces in JSON

i3-msg -t get_tree

Context

tldr-pages: common/i3-msg

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