tmux Cheatsheet

Workflow

Use this tmux reference while you build software engineering projects, review code, or refresh the syntax you reach for most.

Everyday Patterns

Situation	Pattern
Long build or migration	Start it, `prefix d`, come back with `tmux attach`
Remote work	`ssh host -t tmux new -A -s main`, never the reverse
Server plus logs	`prefix "` then run the server above and `tail -f` below
Read a big log	`prefix z` to zoom, `prefix [` for copy mode, `/` to search
Same command on many hosts	One pane per host, then `synchronize-panes on`
One project per workspace	One session per repo, switch with `prefix s` or a sessionizer
Pair debugging	Both attach to the same session
Quick scratch shell	`prefix c`, work, `prefix &` to kill it
Reorganize after the fact	`prefix !` to break a pane out, `join-pane` to pull it back

Vim and tmux Together

The two need three settings to stop fighting each other.

set -sg escape-time 10          # otherwise leaving Insert mode lags
set -g focus-events on          # so Vim's autoread and autosave fire
set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"
set -ga terminal-overrides ",*256col*:Tc"

With vim-tmux-navigator on both sides, Ctrl-h/j/k/l moves between Vim splits and tmux panes with one set of keys, crossing the boundary transparently.

set -g @plugin 'christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator'

" in your vimrc
Plug 'christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator'

Sending code from an editor pane to a shell pane is a two-line binding, and it is how people build a REPL workflow without any plugin:

bind -n M-Enter run-shell "tmux send-keys -t .+ Up Enter"

Minimal Keys to Memorize

Keys	Action
`tmux new -s name`	Start
`tmux a -t name`	Reattach
`prefix d`	Detach
`prefix c`	New window
`prefix n` `prefix p` `prefix 1-9`	Move between windows
`prefix ,`	Rename window
`prefix %` `prefix "`	Split
`prefix arrows`	Move between panes
`prefix z`	Zoom
`prefix x`	Kill pane
`prefix [`	Copy mode, scroll back
`prefix ?`	Every other binding

Everything else in this reference is an optimization on top of those twelve.

Where to Go Next

man tmux is the complete reference, and it is unusually well written. The FORMATS and COMMANDS sections repay reading.
prefix ? lists your live bindings, including your own.
tmux list-commands prints every command with its arguments.
The tmux-plugins organization on GitHub holds tmux-sensible, tmux-resurrect, and tmux-continuum, which is where most people start with plugins.