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tmux - Terminal Multiplexer Essentials

Run persistent terminal sessions, split your screen, and never lose work again. Essential for remote development and multitasking.

SSH disconnects. Terminal crashes. You lose your work and have to start over. tmux solves this by running persistent sessions that survive disconnections. Split your terminal into panes, manage multiple windows, and never lose your workspace again.

💾

Session Persistence

Your terminal sessions keep running even when you disconnect. SSH into a server, start tmux, detach, and reconnect days later - everything is exactly where you left it.

Understanding tmux: Sessions, Windows, Panes

tmux organizes your workspace in a hierarchy. A session contains windows, and windows contain panes:

SESSION: dev-project 1:editor 2:server 3:git WINDOW: 1:editor (active) PANE 0 (active) 1 import { useState } from 'react' 2 import { Button } from './components' 3 4 function App () { 5 const [count, setCount] = useState (0) -- INSERT -- App.tsx 5:42 PANE 1 $ npm run dev Server running on localhost:3000 Ready in 1.2s PANE 2 $ tail -f app.log [INFO] Request /api [INFO] Response 200 [WARN] Slow query [INFO] Request /home [dev-project] 1:editor* 2:server 3:git "hostname" 14:32

tmux hierarchy: Session "dev-project" with 3 windows, Window 1 active with 3 panes (editor, server, logs)

Key Features

💾

Session Persistence

Sessions survive disconnections and reboots. Detach, go home, reattach - everything is still running.

⬜

Window/Pane Splits

Split your terminal horizontally and vertically. Run multiple commands side-by-side without switching tabs.

🔗

Detach/Attach

Leave processes running in the background. Reattach from any terminal, even over SSH.

📋

Copy Mode

Scroll through terminal history, search text, and copy/paste with vim-like keybindings.

Practical Examples

Essential tmux workflows for daily use:

Installation

# macOS
brew install tmux

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install tmux

# Check version
tmux -V

Sessions: Create, Detach, Attach

# Start a new named session
tmux new -s myproject

# Detach from session (keeps running)
# Press: Ctrl+b then d

# List all sessions
tmux ls

# Attach to a session
tmux attach -t myproject
tmux a -t myproject  # shorthand

# Kill a session
tmux kill-session -t myproject

Windows: Create and Navigate

# All commands start with prefix: Ctrl+b

# Create new window
Ctrl+b c

# Switch between windows
Ctrl+b 0  # go to window 0
Ctrl+b 1  # go to window 1
Ctrl+b n  # next window
Ctrl+b p  # previous window

# Rename current window
Ctrl+b ,

# List windows
Ctrl+b w

Panes: Split and Navigate

# Split horizontally (top/bottom)
Ctrl+b "

# Split vertically (left/right)
Ctrl+b %

# Navigate between panes
Ctrl+b arrow-keys

# Resize panes
Ctrl+b Ctrl+arrow-keys

# Zoom pane (toggle fullscreen)
Ctrl+b z

# Close current pane
Ctrl+b x  # or just type 'exit'

Copy Mode (scroll and copy)

# Enter copy mode (scroll through history)
Ctrl+b [

# Navigate (vim-style)
j, k, h, l  # or arrow keys
Ctrl+u, Ctrl+d  # page up/down

# Search
/pattern  # search forward
?pattern  # search backward
n, N  # next/previous match

# Select and copy
Space  # start selection
Enter  # copy selection

# Paste
Ctrl+b ]

# Exit copy mode
q

Why Developers Love It

  • ✓ Never Lose Work - SSH disconnects? Terminal crashes? Your processes keep running in tmux.
  • ✓ Perfect for Remote Work - Start a session on your server, detach, come back tomorrow - it's all there.
  • ✓ Efficient Multitasking - Editor, server, logs, tests - all visible at once without switching tabs.
  • ✓ Scriptable Layouts - Create scripts that set up your entire development environment with one command.
  • ✓ Pair Programming - Multiple users can attach to the same session and see the same terminal.

Cheatsheet

Essential tmux commands (all start with prefix Ctrl+b):

Shortcut Action Category
Ctrl+b d Detach from session Sessions
Ctrl+b c Create new window Windows
Ctrl+b n / p Next / Previous window Windows
Ctrl+b 0-9 Switch to window N Windows
Ctrl+b % Split pane vertically Panes
Ctrl+b " Split pane horizontally Panes
Ctrl+b arrows Navigate panes Panes
Ctrl+b z Zoom pane (toggle) Panes
Ctrl+b x Close pane Panes
Ctrl+b [ Enter copy mode Copy
Ctrl+b ] Paste buffer Copy
Ctrl+b ? Show keybindings Help

Pro Tips

Advanced techniques and configurations for power users:

⌨️

Remap Prefix to Ctrl+a

Many prefer Ctrl+a (like GNU Screen). Add to ~/.tmux.conf: unbind C-b; set -g prefix C-a; bind C-a send-prefix

🖱️

Enable Mouse Support

Click to select panes and resize by dragging. Add to config: set -g mouse on

🎨

Use True Colors

For proper terminal colors: set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color" and set -ag terminal-overrides ",xterm-256color:RGB"

⚡

Quick Pane Navigation

Bind vim-style keys: bind h select-pane -L; bind j select-pane -D; bind k select-pane -U; bind l select-pane -R

📜

Increase History Limit

Scroll back further: set -g history-limit 50000

📦

Try a Plugin Manager

Install TPM for plugins like tmux-resurrect (save/restore sessions across restarts) and tmux-continuum (auto-save).

Getting Started

  1. 1

    Install tmux

    macOS: brew install tmux | Ubuntu: sudo apt install tmux

  2. 2

    Create Your First Session

    Run tmux new -s dev to start a named session

  3. 3

    Learn the Prefix

    Press Ctrl+b, then % to split. Try Ctrl+b ? for help

  4. 4

    Detach and Reattach

    Press Ctrl+b d to detach, then tmux attach to come back

Never Lose Your Terminal Session Again

Install tmux and work with confidence. Your sessions persist through disconnects, crashes, and context switches.

Read the Wiki

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