tmux Quick Reference

Overview

tmux (terminal multiplexer) allows you to manage multiple terminal sessions from a single window, persist sessions across SSH disconnects, and share terminals with others.

Why tmux: - Persistent sessions survive SSH disconnects - Split terminal into multiple panes - Multiple windows in one session - Share sessions for pair programming - Essential for remote server work - Lightweight and ubiquitous on Unix/Linux

Check Version:

tmux -V

1. Core Concepts

Session Hierarchy

tmux Server
Session (mywork)
Window 0: editor (active)
Pane 0: vim (active)
Pane 1: terminal
Pane 2: logs
Window 1: monitoring
Window 2: database

Terminology: - Session: A collection of windows, survives disconnection - Window: Like a tab, contains one or more panes - Pane: A split section of a window, runs one command - Prefix Key: Default Ctrl+b, triggers tmux commands

2. Session Management

Create and Attach Sessions

# Start new session
tmux

# Start session with name
tmux new -s mywork

# Start session in detached mode
tmux new -s background -d

# Attach to existing session
tmux attach -t mywork
# or
tmux a -t mywork

# Attach to last session
tmux attach

# Detach from current session (inside tmux)
Ctrl+b d

List and Switch Sessions

# List all sessions
tmux ls
# or
tmux list-sessions

# Inside tmux: list sessions interactively
Ctrl+b s

# Switch to session (inside tmux)
tmux switch-client -t mywork

# Kill session
tmux kill-session -t mywork

# Kill all sessions except current
tmux kill-session -a

# Rename current session (inside tmux)
Ctrl+b $

3. Window Management

Create and Navigate Windows

Ctrl+b c - Create new window
Ctrl+b , - Rename current window
Ctrl+b & - Kill current window (prompts for confirmation)

Ctrl+b n - Next window
Ctrl+b p - Previous window
Ctrl+b 0-9 - Switch to window 0-9
Ctrl+b l - Switch to last window
Ctrl+b w - List windows (interactive)

Ctrl+b f - Find window by name

Example:

# Create 3 windows for different tasks
Ctrl+b c → Window 1 (created)
Ctrl+b , → Rename to "editor"
Ctrl+b c → Window 2 (created)
Ctrl+b , → Rename to "logs"
Ctrl+b c → Window 3 (created)
Ctrl+b , → Rename to "monitoring"

# Navigate
Ctrl+b 0 → Switch to window 0
Ctrl+b n → Next window

4. Pane Management

Split Panes

Ctrl+b % - Split pane vertically (left/right)
Ctrl+b " - Split pane horizontally (top/bottom)
Ctrl+b x - Kill current pane

Ctrl+b arrow - Navigate between panes (↑ ↓ ← →)
Ctrl+b o - Cycle through panes
Ctrl+b ; - Toggle between last two panes

Ctrl+b q - Show pane numbers (then press number to select)
Ctrl+b z - Toggle pane zoom (fullscreen/restore)

Resize Panes

Ctrl+b Ctrl+arrow - Resize pane (hold Ctrl, press arrow multiple times)
Ctrl+b Alt+arrow - Resize pane by 5 cells

# or resize mode
Ctrl+b :
resize-pane -L 10 # Resize left 10 cells
resize-pane -R 10 # Resize right 10 cells
resize-pane -U 5 # Resize up 5 cells
resize-pane -D 5 # Resize down 5 cells

Arrange Panes

Ctrl+b Space - Cycle through preset layouts
Ctrl+b Alt+1 - Even horizontal layout
Ctrl+b Alt+2 - Even vertical layout
Ctrl+b Alt+3 - Main horizontal layout
Ctrl+b Alt+4 - Main vertical layout
Ctrl+b Alt+5 - Tiled layout

# Swap panes
Ctrl+b { - Swap with previous pane
Ctrl+b } - Swap with next pane

Example Workflow:

# Create editor + terminal + logs layout
Ctrl+b " → Split horizontally
Ctrl+b % → Split right pane vertically

# Result:
# 
# 
# Editor 
# 
# 
# Terminal Logs 
# 

# Zoom into editor
Ctrl+b ↑ → Move to top pane
Ctrl+b z → Zoom fullscreen
# Work in editor...
Ctrl+b z → Restore layout

5. Copy Mode and Scrolling

Enter Copy Mode

Ctrl+b [ - Enter copy mode (scroll with arrows/PgUp/PgDn)
q - Exit copy mode

# In copy mode (vi bindings):
Space - Start selection
Enter - Copy selection
Ctrl+b ] - Paste copied text

h, j, k, l - Move cursor (left, down, up, right)
w, b - Move by word (forward, backward)
0, $ - Start/end of line
gg, G - Top/bottom of buffer
Ctrl+f, Ctrl+b - Page down/up
/ - Search forward
? - Search backward
n - Next search result
N - Previous search result

# Enable emacs mode in ~/.tmux.conf:
# set-window-option -g mode-keys emacs

Ctrl+n, Ctrl+p - Move up/down
Ctrl+f, Ctrl+b - Move forward/backward
Alt+f, Alt+b - Move by word
Ctrl+a, Ctrl+e - Start/end of line
Ctrl+v, Alt+v - Page down/up
Ctrl+s, Ctrl+r - Search forward/backward

6. Command Mode

Execute Commands

Ctrl+b : - Enter command mode

# Useful commands:
:new-window -n logs # Create window named "logs"
:split-window -h # Horizontal split
:split-window -v # Vertical split
:resize-pane -L 10 # Resize pane
:select-layout tiled # Apply tiled layout
:set-option -g mouse on # Enable mouse
:source-file ~/.tmux.conf # Reload config

7. Configuration (~/.tmux.conf)

Basic Configuration

Create ~/.tmux.conf:

# Change prefix key from Ctrl+b to Ctrl+a (like screen)
unbind C-b
set-option -g prefix C-a
bind-key C-a send-prefix

# Enable mouse support
set -g mouse on

# Increase scrollback buffer
set-option -g history-limit 10000

# Start window and pane numbering at 1 (not 0)
set -g base-index 1
setw -g pane-base-index 1

# Renumber windows when one is closed
set -g renumber-windows on

# Enable vi mode in copy mode
setw -g mode-keys vi

# Enable 256 color support
set -g default-terminal "screen-256color"

# Faster command sequences (reduce escape time)
set -s escape-time 0

# Reload config with Prefix + r
bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf \; display "Config reloaded!"

# Split panes using | and - (easier to remember)
bind | split-window -h
bind - split-window -v
unbind '"'
unbind %

# Switch panes using Alt+arrow without prefix
bind -n M-Left select-pane -L
bind -n M-Right select-pane -R
bind -n M-Up select-pane -U
bind -n M-Down select-pane -D

# Status bar configuration
set -g status-position bottom
set -g status-bg colour234
set -g status-fg colour137
set -g status-left ''
set -g status-right '#[fg=colour233,bg=colour241,bold] %d/%m #[fg=colour233,bg=colour245,bold] %H:%M:%S '
set -g status-right-length 50
set -g status-left-length 20

# Current window highlighting
setw -g window-status-current-format ' #I#[fg=colour250]:#[fg=colour255]#W#[fg=colour50]#F '
setw -g window-status-format ' #I#[fg=colour237]:#[fg=colour250]#W#[fg=colour244]#F '

Reload Configuration

# From command line
tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

# Inside tmux (if you added the binding above)
Ctrl+b r

8. Advanced Features

Synchronized Panes (Send to All)

# Toggle synchronization (type once, affects all panes)
Ctrl+b :
setw synchronize-panes on

# Turn off
setw synchronize-panes off

# Add to .tmux.conf for toggle keybinding:
# bind S setw synchronize-panes
# Then use: Ctrl+b S to toggle

Use Case: Run same command on multiple servers simultaneously.

Session Management Scripts

Auto-create session with layout:

#!/bin/bash
# ~/bin/dev-session.sh

SESSION="development"

# Create session
tmux new-session -d -s $SESSION -n editor

# Window 0: Editor
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:0 'cd ~/projects/myapp' C-m
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:0 'vim' C-m

# Window 1: Servers
tmux new-window -t $SESSION:1 -n servers
tmux split-window -h -t $SESSION:1
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:1.0 'cd ~/projects/myapp && npm run dev' C-m
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:1.1 'cd ~/projects/myapp && npm run watch' C-m

# Window 2: Database
tmux new-window -t $SESSION:2 -n database
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:2 'psql myapp_dev' C-m

# Attach to session
tmux attach-t $SESSION

Usage:

chmod +x ~/bin/dev-session.sh
~/bin/dev-session.sh

Pair Programming / Shared Sessions

# On server, create shared session
tmux new -s pair-session

# Other user SSH in and attach to same session
tmux attach -t pair-session

# Both users see and control the same session

9. Plugins (TPM - tmux Plugin Manager)

Install TPM

# Clone TPM
git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf:
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'

# Initialize TPM (at bottom of .tmux.conf)
run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'

# Reload tmux config
tmux source ~/.tmux.conf

# Install plugins (inside tmux)
Ctrl+b I

Popular Plugins

# In ~/.tmux.conf:

# Restore tmux sessions after reboot
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-continuum'
set -g @continuum-restore 'on'

# Better mouse support
set -g @plugin 'nhdaly/tmux-better-mouse-mode'

# Copy to system clipboard
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-yank'

# Easy pane navigation
set -g @plugin 'christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator'

# Status bar themes
set -g @plugin 'dracula/tmux'
# or
set -g @plugin 'jimeh/tmux-themepack'
set -g @themepack 'powerline/default/cyan'

Plugin Commands:

Ctrl+b I - Install plugins
Ctrl+b U - Update plugins
Ctrl+b Alt+u - Uninstall plugins not in list

10. SRE/DevOps Workflows

Kubernetes Monitoring Layout

#!/bin/bash
# Create k8s monitoring session

SESSION="k8s-monitor"
NAMESPACE="production"

tmux new-session -d -s $SESSION -n overview

# Window 0: Cluster overview
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:0 "watch -n 2 'kubectl get nodes'" C-m
tmux split-window -h -t $SESSION:0
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:0.1 "watch -n 2 'kubectl top nodes'" C-m

# Window 1: Pod monitoring
tmux new-window -t $SESSION:1 -n pods
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:1 "watch -n 2 'kubectl get pods -n $NAMESPACE'" C-m
tmux split-window -v -t $SESSION:1
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:1.1 "kubectl logs -f deployment/myapp -n $NAMESPACE" C-m

# Window 2: Events
tmux new-window -t $SESSION:2 -n events
tmux send-keys -t $SESSION:2 "kubectl get events -n $NAMESPACE --watch" C-m

tmux attach -t $SESSION

Multi-Server SSH Sessions

# Connect to multiple servers in panes
tmux new-session -d -s servers

# Create 4 panes
tmux split-window -h
tmux split-window -v
tmux select-pane -t 0
tmux split-window -v

# SSH to different servers
tmux send-keys -t servers:0.0 'ssh server01' C-m
tmux send-keys -t servers:0.1 'ssh server02' C-m
tmux send-keys -t servers:0.2 'ssh server03' C-m
tmux send-keys -t servers:0.3 'ssh server04' C-m

# Enable synchronized panes
tmux setw -t servers:0 synchronize-panes on

tmux attach -t servers
# Now type once, command runs on all 4 servers!

Log Tailing Multiple Files

# Create session for log monitoring
tmux new-session -d -s logs -n application

# Split into 4 panes
tmux split-window -h -t logs:0
tmux split-window -v -t logs:0.0
tmux split-window -v -t logs:0.1

# Tail different logs
tmux send-keys -t logs:0.0 'tail -f /var/log/app/error.log' C-m
tmux send-keys -t logs:0.1 'tail -f /var/log/app/access.log' C-m
tmux send-keys -t logs:0.2 'tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log' C-m
tmux send-keys -t logs:0.3 'tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log' C-m

tmux attach -t logs

11. Useful One-Liners

# Kill all tmux sessions
tmux kill-server

# List all key bindings
tmux list-keys

# List all commands
tmux list-commands

# Capture pane content to file
tmux capture-pane -pS -1000 > output.txt

# Send keys to specific pane
tmux send-keys -t mysession:1.0 'ls -la' C-m

# Create session, run command, detach
tmux new -d -s build 'make build'

# Join pane from another window
tmux join-pane -s 2.0 -t 1.0

# Break pane into new window
tmux break-pane

# Display pane info (size, index)
tmux display-panes

12. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem: Colors look wrong in tmux

Solution:

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf:
set -g default-terminal "screen-256color"

# Or for true color support:
set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"
set -ga terminal-overrides ",*256col*:Tc"

Problem: Can't scroll with mouse

Solution:

# Enable mouse in ~/.tmux.conf:
set -g mouse on

Problem: Escape key slow in Vim inside tmux

Solution:

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf:
set -s escape-time 0

Problem: Can't copy/paste to system clipboard

Solution:

# Install tmux-yank plugin or use:
# On macOS:
bind -T copy-mode-vi y send-keys -X copy-pipe-and-cancel 'pbcopy'

# On Linux:
bind -T copy-mode-vi y send-keys -X copy-pipe-and-cancel 'xclip -in -selection clipboard'

Problem: Session not persisting after reboot

Solution:

# Install tmux-resurrect + tmux-continuum plugins
# See Plugins section above

Problem: Prefix key conflicts with other apps

Solution:

# Change prefix in ~/.tmux.conf:
unbind C-b
set -option -g prefix C-a
bind-key C-a send-prefix

13. Cheat Sheet Summary

Session Management

tmux new -s name - Create session
tmux a -t name - Attach to session
tmux ls - List sessions
Ctrl+b d - Detach from session
Ctrl+b $ - Rename session

Windows

Ctrl+b c - Create window
Ctrl+b , - Rename window
Ctrl+b n/p - Next/previous window
Ctrl+b 0-9 - Switch to window 0-9
Ctrl+b w - List windows

Panes

Ctrl+b % - Vertical split
Ctrl+b " - Horizontal split
Ctrl+b arrow - Navigate panes
Ctrl+b z - Zoom pane
Ctrl+b x - Kill pane
Ctrl+b Space - Cycle layouts

Copy Mode

Ctrl+b [ - Enter copy mode
Space - Start selection
Enter - Copy selection
Ctrl+b ] - Paste
q - Exit copy mode

Misc

Ctrl+b ? - List all key bindings
Ctrl+b : - Command mode
Ctrl+b t - Show clock

14. Resources

Official Documentation: - https://github.com/tmux/tmux/wiki - man tmux

Useful Links: - tmux cheat sheet: https://tmuxcheatsheet.com/ - tmux Plugin Manager: https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm - tmux-resurrect: https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect - Awesome tmux: https://github.com/rothgar/awesome-tmux

Books: - "tmux 2: Productive Mouse-Free Development" by Brian P. Hogan

Configuration Examples: - https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux (popular tmux config) - https://github.com/tony/tmux-config

Updated: 2026-05-23 Author: Documentation Team Use Case: Terminal multiplexing, SRE, DevOps, Remote work

tmux Quick Reference

Overview

1. Core Concepts

Session Hierarchy

2. Session Management

Create and Attach Sessions

List and Switch Sessions

3. Window Management

Create and Navigate Windows

4. Pane Management

Split Panes

Resize Panes

Arrange Panes

5. Copy Mode and Scrolling

Enter Copy Mode

Copy Mode Navigation (vi-style)

Copy Mode Navigation (emacs-style)

6. Command Mode

Execute Commands

7. Configuration (~/.tmux.conf)

Basic Configuration

Reload Configuration

8. Advanced Features

Synchronized Panes (Send to All)

Session Management Scripts

Pair Programming / Shared Sessions

9. Plugins (TPM - tmux Plugin Manager)

Install TPM

Popular Plugins

10. SRE/DevOps Workflows

Kubernetes Monitoring Layout

Multi-Server SSH Sessions

Log Tailing Multiple Files

11. Useful One-Liners

12. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

13. Cheat Sheet Summary

Session Management

Windows

Panes

Copy Mode

Misc

14. Resources