Learn the keys
Short lessons on the default Niri shortcuts, in a simulated strip that behaves like the real one. Click the desktop and follow along on your keyboard, or tap the keys under it.
Move the focus
⌥ plus an arrow moves the focus. The strip only scrolls as far as it has to, so the focused column stays on screen. Press ⌥→ until Messages, at the far right, has the focus.
Up and down a column
A column can hold a stack of windows. ⌥↑ and ⌥↓ move the focus up and down the stack. Focus Notes, under Zed.
Add ⇧ to move the window
Hold ⇧ as well and the same arrows move the focused window instead of the focus. Notes is stacked under Zed: press ⌥⇧→ to pull it out into a column of its own.
Join a column
When a window is already alone in its column, ⌥⇧← and ⌥⇧→ stack it into the column next to it. Press ⌥⇧← to put Notes back under Zed.
Reorder a stack
⌥⇧↑ and ⌥⇧↓ swap the focused window with the one above or below it. Move Zed under Notes.
Add ⌃ to move the column
Hold ⌃ on top of ⌥⇧ and the arrows carry the whole column, stack and all. Press ⌃⌥⇧→ to slide the Zed and Notes column to the right.
Cycle the width
Columns snap to a third, a half or two thirds of the screen. ⌥. steps up through those sizes and ⌥, steps down, wrapping at either end. Make Ghostty two thirds wide.
Full width
⌥⇧F stretches the focused column across the whole screen. Press it again to put it back. Give Safari the full width.
Tabs
⌥T turns a column into tabs: one window shows at a time, and ⌥↑ and ⌥↓ flip between them. Tab the Zed column, then bring Notes to the front.
Free play
That covers the everyday keys. Every one of them is a default binding, and Settings › Keyboard Shortcuts can change any of them. ⌥1 to ⌥9 switch workspaces the same way, and a sideways two finger swipe on a trackpad scrolls the strip.
Done. Press Return for the next one.
No windows. Press N to open one.
Plain arrows and hjkl work too, in case OmniWM is already catching ⌥ on your Mac.