Installation Guide
Comprehensive installation methods for every major platform — from package managers to manual compilation.
Verified Jun 2026 for tmux 3.6b
5 min read
beginner
macOS
macOS has three reliable installation paths. Homebrew is recommended for most users.
Homebrew (recommended)
bash
brew install tmuxMacPorts
bash
sudo port install tmuxWorks on both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3).
Linux
tmux ships in every major distribution's package repositories.
Ubuntu / Debian
bash
sudo apt install tmuxFedora / RHEL
bash
sudo dnf install tmuxArch Linux
bash
sudo pacman -S tmuxWindows (WSL2)
Run full tmux on Windows through the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
bash
# PowerShell (Admin)
wsl --install
# Inside WSL
sudo apt update
sudo apt install tmuxWSL2 is the only fully-supported Windows approach. Cygwin provides limited legacy support.
Advanced: compile from source
Building from source unlocks the latest features and custom configurations.
bash
# Install dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install libevent-dev ncurses-dev build-essential bison pkg-config
# Download and compile
git clone https://github.com/tmux/tmux.git
cd tmux
sh autogen.sh
./configure && make
sudo make install
# Verify installation
tmux -V # A master build reports 3.6 or newerVerify your installation
After installing by any method, confirm tmux is on your PATH:
bash
tmux -V