tmux Cheat Sheet

Free

A searchable, printable tmux reference — sessions, windows, panes, copy mode, prefix rebinding, configuration, plugins and scripting. Free.

Sessions

tmux new -s work

Start a named session

tmux new -s work -d

Start detached (in the background)

tmux new -As work

Attach if it exists, else create

tmux ls

List running sessions

tmux attach -t work

Attach to a session (a = attach)

Prefix d

Detach from the current session

Prefix $

Rename the current session

Prefix s

Interactive session switcher

Prefix ( / )

Previous / next session

tmux kill-session -t work

Kill one session

tmux kill-server

Kill all sessions and the server

Windows

Prefix c

Create a new window

Prefix ,

Rename the current window

Prefix n / p

Next / previous window

Prefix 0..9

Jump to window by number

Prefix l

Toggle to the last-used window

Prefix w

Interactive window list

Prefix f

Find a window by name

Prefix &

Kill the current window (confirms)

Prefix .

Move window to another index

swap-window -s 2 -t 0

Swap two windows by index

Panes

Prefix %

Split vertically (side by side)

Prefix "

Split horizontally (stacked)

Prefix arrow keys

Move between panes

Prefix o / ;

Next pane / last-active pane

Prefix q

Show pane numbers (press to jump)

Prefix z

Zoom: toggle pane full-screen

Prefix x

Kill the current pane (confirms)

Prefix { / }

Swap pane with previous / next

Prefix Ctrl+arrow

Resize pane one cell at a time

Prefix Space

Cycle built-in pane layouts

Prefix !

Break the pane into its own window

join-pane -s 2 -t 1

Move a pane into another window

Copy mode & scrolling

Prefix [

Enter copy mode (scroll history)

q / Escape

Leave copy mode

Prefix PgUp

Enter copy mode scrolled one page up

Space then Enter

Start selection, then copy (emacs)

v then y

Start selection, then copy (vi keys)

Prefix ]

Paste the copied text

/ and ?

Search forward / backward

n / N

Next / previous search match

g / G

Top / bottom of history (vi keys)

setw -g mode-keys vi

Use vi keys in copy mode

tmux capture-pane -p > out.txt

Dump pane contents to a file

Prefix key & rebinding

Ctrl+b

The default prefix key

Prefix key, then the command key

Press separately, not together

set -g prefix C-a

Use Ctrl+a as prefix (screen style)

unbind C-b

Free the old prefix binding

bind C-a send-prefix

Prefix twice sends it to the app

bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Reload config with Prefix r

bind -n M-Left select-pane -L

-n = no prefix needed (Alt+Left)

bind -r H resize-pane -L 5

-r = key repeats within timeout

tmux list-keys

Show all current key bindings

Command mode (:)

Prefix :

Open the tmux command prompt

:new-window -n logs

New window named "logs"

:split-window -h

Split the pane horizontally

:rename-session dev

Rename the current session

:setw synchronize-panes on

Type into all panes at once

:swap-pane -s 0 -t 1

Swap two panes by index

:resize-pane -D 10

Resize down by 10 cells

:source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Reload the configuration

:kill-server

Stop tmux entirely

Configuration essentials

set -g mouse on

Mouse: select panes, resize, scroll

set -g base-index 1

Number windows from 1, not 0

setw -g pane-base-index 1

Number panes from 1 too

set -g renumber-windows on

Re-number after closing a window

setw -g mode-keys vi

vi keys in copy mode

set -g history-limit 50000

Bigger scrollback buffer

set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"

Proper colors inside tmux

set -sg escape-time 0

No Esc delay (helps vim users)

bind | split-window -h

Memorable split: | = vertical

bind - split-window -v

Memorable split: - = horizontal

set -g focus-events on

Pass focus events to programs

Plugins & TPM

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

Install the plugin manager

set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm'

Declare TPM in .tmux.conf

run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'

MUST be the last config line

Prefix I

Install newly declared plugins

Prefix U

Update installed plugins

Prefix Alt+u

Remove undeclared plugins

@plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'

Save/restore sessions across reboots

@plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-continuum'

Auto-save sessions periodically

@plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-yank'

Copy to the system clipboard

@plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'

Sane defaults everyone agrees on

Sharing & pairing

tmux -S /tmp/pair new -s pair

Session on a shared socket file

chmod 777 /tmp/pair

Let the partner access the socket

tmux -S /tmp/pair attach

Partner attaches to the socket

tmux attach -t work -r

Attach read-only (view, no typing)

Two clients, one session

Both mirror the same window

tmux new -s me -t work

Grouped session: independent windows

ssh user@host -t tmux new -As dev

SSH straight into a tmux session

setw -g aggressive-resize on

Size to the active client, not min

Scripting from the shell

tmux new -d -s job 'npm run build'

Run a command in a detached session

tmux send-keys -t job 'ls -la' Enter

Type into a session remotely

tmux send-keys -t job C-c

Send Ctrl+C to stop a process

tmux has-session -t job 2>/dev/null && echo up

Check if a session exists

tmux capture-pane -t job -p

Print a pane's output to stdout

tmux split-window -t job -h 'htop'

Split and run a command in it

tmux select-window -t job:2

Target session:window from scripts

tmux display-message -p '#S'

Print the current session name

tmux list-panes -a

List every pane on the server

tmux wait-for done

Block until a signal is fired

Status bar

set -g status off

Hide the status bar entirely

set -g status-position top

Move the bar to the top

set -g status-style bg=black,fg=white

Bar colors

set -g status-left '[#S] '

Show the session name on the left

set -g status-right '%H:%M %d-%b'

Clock and date on the right

set -g status-interval 5

Refresh the bar every 5 seconds

setw -g window-status-current-style fg=green

Highlight the active window

#S #I #W #P #H

Session, window idx/name, pane, host

#(uptime | cut -d, -f1)

Embed shell output in the bar

set -g status-justify centre

Center the window list

Troubleshooting

tmux -V

Show the tmux version

tmux info

Dump server, client and terminal info

tmux show-options -g

List all global option values

Config changes not applied

.tmux.conf loads at server start only

Prefix : source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Reload config without restarting

"sessions should be nested with care"

You ran tmux inside tmux ($TMUX set)

TERM=xterm-256color tmux

Fix wrong/missing colors outside

Esc feels laggy in vim

Set escape-time 0 (see config)

tmux kill-server

Last resort: full clean restart

Sessions gone after reboot

Server is not persistent; use resurrect

No entry matches “:q”.

About tmux Cheat Sheet

This tmux cheat sheet collects the key bindings and commands on one searchable page: sessions, windows, panes, copy mode and scrolling, the prefix key and rebinding it, command mode, configuration essentials, plugins and TPM, sharing and pairing, scripting from the shell, the status bar, and troubleshooting.

tmux is almost entirely muscle memory built on one prefix key, so the sheet shows each binding as the prefix plus the key, alongside the equivalent shell command where one exists — handy when you are scripting a session rather than driving it by hand.

Like every cheat sheet in this group it is free and client-side: filter rows live with the search box, hop between sections with the sticky table of contents, copy any command with one click and print the page for reference beside your terminal.

How to use tmux Cheat Sheet

Open the sheet and review the sections, from Sessions and Windows to Troubleshooting.
Search for a keyword such as split, detach or copy to filter every row live.
Jump to Configuration essentials when you want to change the prefix or the pane bindings.
Click a command or its copy icon to copy it straight into your terminal or .tmux.conf.
Use Print for a paper copy of the full tmux reference.

Frequently asked questions

Twelve sections: sessions, windows, panes, copy mode and scrolling, the prefix key and rebinding, command mode, configuration essentials, plugins and TPM, sharing and pairing, shell scripting, the status bar, and troubleshooting.

Ctrl-b. The prefix section shows every binding relative to it and gives the .tmux.conf lines that rebind it to Ctrl-a if you prefer.

The copy mode section covers entering copy mode, moving and searching in it, starting and ending a selection, and pasting the buffer — in both emacs and vi key modes.

Yes. Click any row or its copy icon and the command is copied immediately.

Yes, it is completely free and runs in your browser with no login.

tmux Cheat Sheet

Sessions

Windows

Panes

Copy mode & scrolling

Prefix key & rebinding

Command mode (:)

Configuration essentials

Plugins & TPM

Sharing & pairing

Scripting from the shell

Status bar

Troubleshooting

About tmux Cheat Sheet

How to use tmux Cheat Sheet

Frequently asked questions

What does the tmux cheat sheet include?

What is the default tmux prefix?

How do I scroll and copy text in tmux?

Can I copy a command with one click?

Is the tmux reference free?

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