Tmux

Getting Started

Tmux is a terminal multiplexer — it lets you run multiple terminal sessions inside a single window and keep them alive after disconnecting. It is organized into three layers: sessions contain windows, and windows contain panes.

$ tmux

$ tmux new -s mysession

All keybindings start with the prefix key, which is Ctrl+b by default. Press the prefix, release it, then press the command key.

Sessions

A session is a collection of windows that persists even after you detach or close the terminal. You can reattach later to pick up where you left off.

Key	Description
Ctrl+b d	Detach from current session
Ctrl+b s	List all sessions and switch
Ctrl+b $	Rename current session
Ctrl+b (	Switch to previous session
Ctrl+b )	Switch to next session

$ tmux ls

$ tmux attach -t mysession

$ tmux kill-session -t mysession

$ tmux rename-session -t old new

Windows

Windows are like tabs within a session. Each window runs its own shell.

Key	Description
Ctrl+b c	Create a new window
Ctrl+b n	Switch to the next window
Ctrl+b p	Switch to the previous window
Ctrl+b 0-9	Switch to window by number
Ctrl+b ,	Rename current window
Ctrl+b &	Close current window (with confirmation)
Ctrl+b w	List all windows and select one
Ctrl+b l	Switch to the last active window

Panes

Panes split a window into multiple terminal areas. Each pane runs independently.

Key	Description
Ctrl+b %	Split pane vertically (left/right)
Ctrl+b "	Split pane horizontally (top/bottom)
Ctrl+b Arrow	Move to the pane in that direction
Ctrl+b o	Cycle to the next pane
Ctrl+b z	Toggle zoom on current pane (full window)
Ctrl+b x	Close current pane (with confirmation)
Ctrl+b {	Swap current pane with the previous one
Ctrl+b }	Swap current pane with the next one
Ctrl+b Space	Cycle through pane layouts
Ctrl+b q	Show pane numbers briefly
Ctrl+b !	Convert current pane into a new window

Resizing Panes

Hold the prefix and use modifier keys with arrows to resize the active pane.

Key	Description
Ctrl+b Ctrl+Arrow	Resize pane by 1 cell in that direction
Ctrl+b Alt+Arrow	Resize pane by 5 cells in that direction

You can also resize from command mode.

$ tmux resize-pane -D 10

$ tmux resize-pane -U 10

$ tmux resize-pane -L 10

$ tmux resize-pane -R 10

Copy Mode

Copy mode lets you scroll through output and copy text. Tmux uses vi-style keys by default when `mode-keys` is set to vi.
Press Ctrl+b [ to enter copy mode and q to exit.

Key	Description
Ctrl+b [	Enter copy mode
q	Exit copy mode
h j k l	Move left, down, up, right
w	Move forward one word
b	Move back one word
/	Search forward
?	Search backward
n	Next search match
N	Previous search match
Space	Start selection
Enter	Copy selection and exit copy mode
Ctrl+b ]	Paste the copied text

To enable vi-style keys, add this to your config file.

$ echo "setw -g mode-keys vi" >> ~/.tmux.conf

Command Mode

Press Ctrl+b : to open the tmux command prompt. From here you can run any tmux command directly.

$ new-window -n mywin

$ split-window -h

$ swap-window -t 0

$ select-layout even-horizontal

$ source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Useful configuration options to add to ~/.tmux.conf.

$ set -g mouse on

$ set -g history-limit 10000

$ set -g base-index 1

$ setw -g pane-base-index 1