What's the tmux prefix?

Default Ctrl+B — every tmux command is prefix+keystroke. Many users remap it to Ctrl+A (matching GNU screen) in ~/.tmux.conf because Ctrl+B conflicts with terminal page-back in some shells.

Why use tmux instead of multiple terminal tabs?

tmux sessions persist after SSH disconnect — your work survives a dropped connection. You can also share a session for pair programming, copy text between panes via the same buffer, and script complex layouts (development workspaces with editor + logs + DB) in tmuxinator.

Can tmux survive a server reboot?

Not out of the box — tmux holds its sessions in memory. Use tmux-resurrect plugin to dump session state to disk before reboot and reload after. Or use Mosh + tmux for resumable SSH sessions.

Is anything sent to a server?

No — this is a static reference.

tmux · sessions · panes · copy mode · local

tmux cheatsheet

Searchable reference of 51 tmux commands across sessions, windows, panes, and copy mode. Default prefix is Ctrl-b.

tmux Cheatsheet

51 matches

Visible

all

Total

commands

Prefix

Ctrl-b

default

Sections

groups

commands

Sessions

Windows

Panes

Copy mode & scrolling

Customisation & misc

descriptions

Sessions

Start a new unnamed session

Start named session

tmux new -s dev

List existing sessions

Attach to session

Kill a session

Kill all sessions and tmux server

Detach from current session

Show interactive session picker

Rename current session

Switch to previous session

Switch to next session

Windows

Create new window

Rename current window

Kill current window

Next window

Previous window

Last-used window (toggle)

Switch to window by index

Window picker (interactive list)

Find window by name

Move/renumber window

Panes

Split pane vertically (left/right)

Split pane horizontally (top/bottom)

Navigate between panes

Cycle through panes

Show pane numbers

Kill current pane

Toggle pane zoom (fullscreen)

Swap pane with previous

Swap pane with next

Break pane into new window

Resize pane by 1 cell

Resize pane by 5 cells

Cycle pane layouts

Copy mode & scrolling

Enter copy mode

Paste last buffer

Exit copy mode (inside copy mode)

Begin selection (copy mode)

Copy selection to buffer (copy mode)

Search forward in copy mode

Search backward in copy mode

Choose buffer to paste

List all buffers

Customisation & misc

Main config file

Reload config without restart

Show all keybindings

Show big clock in current pane

Enter command prompt

Enable mouse support (in config)

Use vi keys in copy mode

Change prefix to Ctrl-a (popular)

Quick Start

Master the tmux prefix

Every tmux command starts with the prefix key (default ^B). Press the prefix, release, then the action key. Customize the prefix in ~/.tmux.conf.

01
Press prefix
Default is Ctrl-B. Release before the next key.
Inputs are treated as UTF-8 throughout the pipeline and validated client-side as you type — nothing dispatches until the value is well-formed.
prefixinpututf-8client-sidevalidated
prefix · textCtrl-b · set
```
Ctrl-b
```
loaded · parsedclient-side
02
Pick action
Sessions, windows, panes, copy mode.
Each toggle re-computes through a memoised hook, so flipping options never resets your input and the UI stays snappy on large inputs.
actionoptionslivememoisedtoggles
action · memoisedc · live
```
new window
```
options set · memoisedlive
03
Read description
Right panel: what it does + example syntax.
Randomness — where used — comes from crypto.getRandomValues, never Math.random. Heavy work sits in useMemo.
readcomputeinstantlocaldeterministic
desc · instantwhat · computed
```
split horizontally
```
computed · instantinstant
04
Copy
Click any command to copy.
Copy writes through navigator.clipboard and downloads use a Blob — zero network traffic. Same input plus same options always yield the same bytes.
copydownloadzero-networkreproducible
ok · copiedready · copied
```
Copied
```
shipped · ready to shipsuccess

Pro tips

Pro tips for everyday utilities

Reach for crypto.getRandomValues

Cryptographically random for IDs, tokens, salts. Math.random is for animation and games, not security.

Sort IDs lexicographically

UUID v4 has no time ordering. Use ULID or UUID v7 if you need sorted IDs.

Mock data with seeds

Faker-style libraries can be seeded so tests are reproducible. Embed the seed in the fixture file.

Reference cards beat memory

Cheatsheets for Vim, Git, Docker, Linux signals are faster than man pages when you’re mid-flow.

Browser APIs vary

Touch events, gamepads, and clipboard differ across vendors. Feature-detect before use.

Persist in the right place

localStorage for user preferences, sessionStorage for transient state, IndexedDB for structured data.

Use Cases

When to consult tmux docs

Remote sessions, multi-pane workflows.

SSH sessions

Survive disconnects with detached sessions. Random values come from crypto.getRandomValues — cryptographically secure for tokens, salts, and session IDs. Math.random is deterministic enough for animations but predictable enough to be a security bug.

CSPRNG-backed

Multi-pane work

Logs, editor, REPL side by side. Pair with hashids, ULID, or UUID v7 when you need both random and sortable — useful for primary keys, public-facing IDs, and event log ordering without a sequence column.

reproducible

Pair programming

Attach to a shared session. Output is deterministic given the same seed, so fixtures and tests stay reproducible across CI runs and contributor machines. Embed the seed in the fixture file for full replay.

snappy

Long builds

Detach and reattach across SSH. Heavy work runs through useMemo so the UI stays snappy on large inputs. Same input + same options yields identical bytes — the kind of stability snapshot tests rely on.

feature-detected

Learning curve

Speed up muscle memory with a cheatsheet. Storage tools persist to the right backend: localStorage for user preferences, sessionStorage for transient state, IndexedDB for structured data. Pick the right shelf and quota worries disappear.

deterministic

Config tuning

Look up scriptable commands for .tmux.conf. Browser feature detection: clipboard, fullscreen, gamepad, and Web Bluetooth APIs gracefully fall back when unavailable. No surprise white screens on Safari or older Firefox.

production-ready

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I change the prefix?

Yes — bind another key in ~/.tmux.conf with set -g prefix C-a; many users prefer C-a.

tmux vs screen?

tmux is the modern successor with more features and a cleaner config.

Does pbcopy work in tmux?

Yes with reattach-to-user-namespace on macOS, or set-option clipboard external on Linux.

Can I script tmux?

Yes — tmux send-keys, new-session, split-window, etc. all scriptable.

Does it run locally?

Yes — bundled in JS. Nothing is sent to a server.

Suggest a tool

Something missing?

Tell us what you need. We ship the top requests every two weeks.

47 in queue·8 shipped this month

Request queued. Thanks!