Tmux Essentials: A Quick Reference

Posted on Fri 24 January 2025 in Developer Tools • 2 min read

Tmux (terminal multiplexer) lets you run multiple terminal sessions within a single window, detach and reattach to sessions, and organize work into windows and panes. Here are the essential commands.

Session Management

Sessions persist even when you disconnect, making tmux invaluable for remote work.

Command Description
tmux new -s name Create a new session with name
tmux ls List all sessions
tmux attach -t name Attach to a named session
tmux kill-session -t name Kill a session
Ctrl-b d Detach from current session

Window Management

Windows are like tabs within a session.

Keybinding Description
Ctrl-b c Create new window
Ctrl-b , Rename current window
Ctrl-b & Kill current window
Ctrl-b n Next window
Ctrl-b p Previous window
Ctrl-b l Last (previously selected) window
Ctrl-b w List all windows (select interactively)
Ctrl-b 0-9 Switch to window number 0-9

Pane Management

Panes split a window into multiple terminals.

Creating Panes

Keybinding Description
Ctrl-b % Split vertically (left/right)
Ctrl-b " Split horizontally (top/bottom)
Keybinding Description
Ctrl-b o Cycle to next pane
Ctrl-b q Show pane numbers (press number to switch)
Ctrl-b { Move current pane left
Ctrl-b } Move current pane right

Pane Operations

Keybinding Description
Ctrl-b x Kill current pane
Ctrl-b :break-pane Convert pane to its own window

General

Keybinding Description
Ctrl-b ? List all keybindings
Ctrl-b : Enter command mode
Ctrl-b t Show clock

Useful Customizations

Add to ~/.tmux.conf:

# More intuitive split commands
bind | split-window -h
bind - split-window -v

# Enable mouse support
set -g mouse on

# Start window numbering at 1
set -g base-index 1

Reload config without restarting tmux:

tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Quick Workflow

# Start a new session for a project
tmux new -s myproject

# Split into panes: editor on left, terminal on right
# Ctrl-b %

# Create another window for logs
# Ctrl-b c

# Detach and leave everything running
# Ctrl-b d

# Come back later
tmux attach -t myproject

The key mental model: sessions contain windows, windows contain panes. Learn Ctrl-b d (detach) and tmux attach first - they're the gateway to tmux productivity.

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