Testing

Reloading i3

• Quick restart: i3-msg reload
• Full restart: i3-msg restart

That being said, there is sometimes stale state that can build up in the X11 session itself.

X11

Sometimes, it is necessary to restart X. Keep in mind that restarting X will end all of the Graphical programs you have open. Assuming you are using systemd and one of the "big" distros, you'll most likely want to run sudo systemctl restart display-manager.

Although i3 is the window manager I use, X11, being the substrate of the graphical interface, is used before i3 where possible, to avoid vendor-lock in with i3. Namely, all of the "Graphical startup" concerns can be found in the .xinitrc script.

To restart X11, mash CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE a few times. This legacy handler is generally available.