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tmux Keybindings Reference

Complete keyboard shortcuts for terminal multiplexing

Prefix Key

All tmux commands start with the prefix key: C-a (Ctrl+a)

This is customized from the default C-b for easier reach.

Session Management

Key Action Description
C-a s List sessions Interactive session switcher
C-a $ Rename session Change current session name
C-a d Detach session Leave tmux, keep running
C-a D Detach other clients Disconnect other users
C-a ( Previous session Switch to previous
C-a ) Next session Switch to next

Window Management

Key Action Description
C-a c Create window New window
C-a & Kill window Close window (confirm)
C-a , Rename window Change window name
C-a n Next window Go to next window
C-a p Previous window Go to previous window
C-a l Last window Toggle last active
C-a 0-9 Select window Jump to window number
C-a w List windows Interactive window list
C-a f Find window Search windows

Pane Management

Creating Panes

Key Action Description
C-a \| Split vertical Create vertical split
C-a - Split horizontal Create horizontal split
C-a % Split vertical (alt) Default vertical split
C-a " Split horizontal (alt) Default horizontal split
Key Action Description
C-a h Move left Navigate to left pane
C-a j Move down Navigate to down pane
C-a k Move up Navigate to up pane
C-a l Move right Navigate to right pane
C-a ; Last pane Toggle last active pane
C-a o Next pane Cycle through panes
C-a q Show pane numbers Display pane indices

Vim-tmux Navigation

Smart pane switching with vim-tmux-navigator:

Key Action Works In
C-h Navigate left tmux & Neovim
C-j Navigate down tmux & Neovim
C-k Navigate up tmux & Neovim
C-l Navigate right tmux & Neovim
C-\ Previous split tmux & Neovim

Resizing Panes

Key Action Description
C-a H Resize left Decrease width
C-a J Resize down Increase height
C-a K Resize up Decrease height
C-a L Resize right Increase width
C-a M-h Resize left 5 Large decrease width
C-a M-j Resize down 5 Large increase height
C-a M-k Resize up 5 Large decrease height
C-a M-l Resize right 5 Large increase width

Pane Operations

Key Action Description
C-a x Kill pane Close current pane
C-a ! Break pane Move pane to new window
C-a z Zoom pane Toggle fullscreen
C-a Space Cycle layouts Change pane arrangement
C-a { Swap pane left Move pane left
C-a } Swap pane right Move pane right

Copy Mode

Entering Copy Mode

Key Action Description
C-a [ Enter copy mode Start selection
C-a PgUp Enter + scroll up Quick scroll

Copy Mode Navigation (vi-style)

Key Action Description
h/j/k/l Move cursor Vi movement
w/b Word forward/back Word movement
f/F Find char Jump to character
0/$ Line start/end Line navigation
g/G Top/bottom Document navigation
C-u/C-d Page up/down Page scrolling
/ Search forward Find text
? Search backward Reverse find
n/N Next/prev match Search navigation

Selection and Copy

Key Action Description
v Start selection Visual mode
V Line selection Visual line mode
C-v Block selection Visual block mode
y Copy selection Yank to clipboard
Enter Copy and exit Quick copy
Escape Clear selection Cancel
q Exit copy mode Return to normal

Other Commands

Utility

Key Action Description
C-a ? List keys Show all keybindings
C-a : Command prompt Enter tmux command
C-a t Show time Display clock
C-a i Display info Show pane info
C-a ~ Show messages View tmux messages

Configuration

Key Action Description
C-a r Reload config Source ~/.tmux.conf
C-a R Refresh client Redraw terminal

Mouse Support

Mouse is enabled with these features:

Action Description
Click pane Select pane
Click window Select window in status bar
Drag pane border Resize panes
Scroll Scroll in copy mode
Select text Automatic copy mode

Custom Workflows

Quick Split and Navigate

# Create vertical split and move
C-a |
C-l

# Create horizontal split and move
C-a -
C-j

Window Management

# Create named window
C-a c
C-a , mywindow <Enter>

# Quick window switch
C-a 1  # Jump to window 1
C-a p  # Previous window
C-a n  # Next window

Copy and Paste

# Copy workflow
C-a [          # Enter copy mode
/search_term   # Find text
v              # Start selection
w w            # Extend selection
y              # Copy to clipboard

# Paste
Cmd+V          # System paste

Session Management

# Detach work session
C-a d          # Detach from session

# Next day, reattach
tmux a         # Reattach to session

Tips and Tricks

Quick Commands

  1. Zoom for focus: C-a z to maximize current pane
  2. Quick split: C-a | for vertical, C-a - for horizontal
  3. Smart navigation: Use C-h/j/k/l to move between tmux and vim seamlessly
  4. Copy without mode: Just select with mouse to copy

Productivity Boosters

  1. Named sessions: tmux new -s project-name
  2. Attach to running: tmux a or tmux attach
  3. List everything: tmux ls for sessions
  4. Kill stuck session: tmux kill-session -t name

Integration

  1. With Alacritty: tmux starts automatically on new window
  2. With shell: tks alias kills all sessions
  3. With clipboard: Automatic system clipboard integration
  4. With vim: Seamless navigation via vim-tmux-navigator

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