Advanced Features
Updated for tmux 3.6Unlock tmux's full potential with advanced workflows, integrations, and automation. These features build on the basic configuration knowledge.
Verified Dec 2025 for tmux 3.6
15 min read
advanced
🖱️ Mouse Mode
Modern mouse integration for selecting and resizing
Enable comprehensive mouse support with set -g mouse on:
- ✓ Click to select panes
- ✓ Drag borders to resize
- ✓ Click window names to switch
- ✓ Scroll wheel in panes
- ✓ Text selection with auto-copy
💡 Hold Shift (Linux/Windows) or Option (macOS) to bypass mouse mode for traditional terminal copy-paste.
🔄 Pane Synchronization
Type in all panes simultaneously
Perfect for managing multiple servers at once. See this in action in the DevOps workflows:
bash
# Enable synchronization
Ctrl+b :setw synchronize-panes on
# Disable
Ctrl+b :setw synchronize-panes off
# Toggle binding (add to .tmux.conf)
bind S setw synchronize-panes⚡ Great for running identical commands on multiple SSH sessions!
🤝 Pair Programming & Session Sharing
Collaborate in real-time within the same tmux session
Basic Session Sharing
bash
# User A creates session
tmux new-session -s shared
# User B attaches (sees identical view)
tmux attach-session -t shared
# Both users share cursor and see same contentGrouped Sessions (Independent Windows)
bash
# User A creates session
tmux new-session -s alice
# User B joins same group
tmux new-session -s bob -t alice
# Both can switch windows independently while sharing window contentRead-Only Access
bash
# Observer mode (cannot type)
tmux attach-session -t shared -r
# Perfect for live coding demos or debugging sessions