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A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of application windows under the X Window System, a graphical user interface on Unix systems that enables a user to interact with a number of application programs simultaneously. Each one typically has its own independent window, and when a window manager is available, interaction between the X server and its clients is redirected through the window manager.

Unlike the Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms, which have historically provided a vendor-controlled, fixed set of ways to control how windows and panes display on a screen, and how the user may interact with them, the X Window System allows the user to choose between various third-party window managers. Window managers differ from one another in several ways, including:

customizability of appearance and functionality:

textual menus used to start programs and/or change options

docks and other graphical ways to start programs

multiple desktops and virtual desktops (desktops larger than the physical monitor size), and pagers to switch between them

consumption of memory and other system resources

degree of integration with a desktop environment, which provides a more complete interface to the operating system, and provides a range of integrated utilities and applications.

Alternative shells for Microsoft Windows have also emerged. For example, LiteStep can replace the user interface on Windows 95, 98, or NT with an Afterstep style. OS/2 ships with Presentation Manager as the default shell, but third party sources can supply alternatives.