Tmux Cheat Sheet (Short, No-BS version)

Tmux revolutionizes terminal productivity by enabling multiple sessions, windows, and panes. This comprehensive cheat sheet will transform you from a tmux novice to a command-line multitasking pro.

Table of Contents show

Key Tmux Commands for Efficiency

  • Create session: tmux new -s session_name
  • List sessions: tmux ls
  • Attach to session: tmux attach -t session_name
  • Detach from session: Ctrl-b d
  • Kill session: tmux kill-session -t session_name
  • Kill tmux server: tmux kill-server

Creating a Powerful Tmux Session

Launch a new tmux session for a web development project:

tmux new -s web_dev

This creates a session named “web_dev”. Once inside:

  1. Split the window vertically: Ctrl-b %
  2. Split the right pane horizontally: Ctrl-b "
  3. Navigate to your project directory: cd ~/projects/my_website
  4. In the top-right pane, start your development server: npm start
  5. In the bottom-right pane, open your text editor: vim index.html

You now have a terminal for commands, a pane showing your running server, and a pane for editing code.

Exiting a Tmux Session Gracefully

To leave your session running in the background:

Ctrl-b d

This detaches from the session, leaving your development environment intact for later.

Listing and Managing Existing Sessions

View all active tmux sessions:

tmux ls

Output might look like:

web_dev: 3 windows (created Tue Sep 10 14:30:22 2024)
data_analysis: 2 windows (created Tue Sep 10 09:15:10 2024)

Deleting Tmux Sessions

From Inside Tmux

To kill the current session from within tmux:

  1. Enter command mode: Ctrl-b :
  2. Type the command: kill-session
  3. Press Enter

From Outside Tmux

To remove a specific session, e.g., “data_analysis”:

tmux kill-session -t data_analysis

Re-attaching to a Tmux Session

Return to your web development environment:

tmux attach -t web_dev

You’ll find your panes and processes exactly as you left them.

Killing the Entire Tmux Server

For a fresh start, terminate all tmux sessions and the server:

tmux kill-server

Caution: This closes all tmux sessions. Use it when you’re sure you don’t need any running sessions.

Advanced Tmux Usage

  • Create a new window: Ctrl-b c
  • Switch to next window: Ctrl-b n
  • Rename current window: Ctrl-b ,
  • Enter copy mode (for scrolling): Ctrl-b [
  • Start selection in copy mode: Space
  • Copy selection: Enter
  • Paste copied text: Ctrl-b ]

Master these commands, and you’ll dramatically enhance your terminal workflow, juggling multiple projects with ease.