tmux — terminal multiplexer

Q: I can't exit / everything is being "captured"

That's the Ctrl+b prefix. To simply detach — Ctrl+b then d. To close the shell in a pane — exit.

Q: sessions should be nested with care

You ran tmux inside tmux. Detach from the inner one (Ctrl+b d) or don't nest it (send the prefix to the inner session with Ctrl+b Ctrl+b).

Q: Mouse scrolling doesn't work

Enable set -g mouse on in ~/.tmux.conf and tmux source ~/.tmux.conf (or start a new session).

4 min tmux 3.x

Keeps a terminal session alive on the server after an SSH drop; sessions live in memory and don't survive a reboot.

Cheat sheet

6 commands Printable version

tmux new -s name new named session
tmux ls list sessions
tmux attach -t name attach to a session
tmux kill-session -t name kill a session
Ctrl+b d detach — the session keeps running
Ctrl+b c new window

Overview

tmux keeps a terminal session alive on the server: you can detach and come back, and long-running tasks survive an SSH drop. Plus windows and panes within one terminal.

bash

tmux                              # new session
tmux new -s work                  # a named session
tmux ls                           # list sessions
tmux attach -t work               # attach (a -t work — short form)
tmux kill-session -t work         # kill the session

All hotkeys go through a prefix, Ctrl+b, followed by a key.

Options

/

Ctrl+b [         enter copy-mode → arrows/PgUp to scroll; q to exit
                 (in copy-mode: Space to start a selection, Enter to copy)
Ctrl+b ]         paste what was copied

~/.tmux.conf (common settings):

set -g mouse on              # mouse: selection, pane resize, scroll
set -g history-limit 10000   # scrollback length
setw -g mode-keys vi         # vi navigation in copy-mode

From a script: tmux new -d -s job 'long-cmd' (run in the background), tmux send-keys -t job 'cmd' Enter.

Option	What it does	Example
`-s` name	Name the session on creation — easier to find than by number.	`tmux new -s work`
`-t` name	Target a session for attach, kill-session, send-keys.	`tmux attach -t work`
`-l` `ls`	List running sessions.	`tmux ls`
`-d`	Create the session already detached — for launching tasks from scripts.	`tmux new -d -s job 'long-running-command'`
`send-keys`	Send keystrokes to a session without attaching to it (for automation).	`tmux send-keys -t job 'cmd' Enter`

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Recipes

Hotkeys

Ctrl+b  d        detach — the session keeps running
Ctrl+b  c        new window        Ctrl+b  n / p   next/previous window
Ctrl+b  ,        rename the window  Ctrl+b  0..9   jump to window by number
Ctrl+b  w        list windows/sessions (pick one)
Ctrl+b  "        split horizontally (a pane)
Ctrl+b  %        split vertically
Ctrl+b  arrows   move between panes
Ctrl+b  z        zoom the current pane in/out
Ctrl+b  x        close the pane
Ctrl+b  [        scroll/copy mode (q to exit)
Ctrl+b  ?        list of all key bindings

Troubleshooting

I can't exit / everything is being "captured"

That's the Ctrl+b prefix. To simply detach — Ctrl+b then d. To close the shell in a pane — exit.

sessions should be nested with care

You ran tmux inside tmux. Detach from the inner one (Ctrl+b d) or don't nest it (send the prefix to the inner session with Ctrl+b Ctrl+b).

Sessions disappeared after a reboot

tmux keeps sessions in memory — a reboot kills them. For services that must stay up, use systemd, not tmux.

Mouse scrolling doesn't work

Enable set -g mouse on in ~/.tmux.conf and tmux source ~/.tmux.conf (or start a new session).