Frequently Asked Questions

tmux is a terminal multiplexer that lets you create, access, and control multiple terminal sessions from a single screen. It's essential for remote work, keeping processes running after disconnecting, and organizing your terminal workflow efficiently.

Installation varies by system: On macOS use 'brew install tmux', on Ubuntu/Debian use 'sudo apt install tmux', on RHEL/CentOS use 'sudo yum install tmux', or compile from source for the latest version.

tmux is more modern with better documentation, cleaner configuration, active development, better scripting support, and more intuitive key bindings. Screen is older but still reliable for basic multiplexing needs.

Detach with Ctrl+b then d (or 'tmux detach'). Reattach with 'tmux attach' for the most recent session or 'tmux attach -t session-name' for a specific session.

Yes! tmux is perfect for SSH sessions. Start tmux on the remote server after connecting via SSH. If your connection drops, your tmux session continues running and you can reattach when you reconnect.

The default prefix key is Ctrl+b. You press this combination followed by another key to execute tmux commands. You can change it to Ctrl+a or any other combination in your .tmux.conf file.

Split horizontally with Ctrl+b then % (creates side-by-side panes). Split vertically with Ctrl+b then " (creates stacked panes). Navigate between panes with Ctrl+b then arrow keys.

Create a new window with Ctrl+b then c. Switch to next window with Ctrl+b then n, previous with Ctrl+b then p, or specific window with Ctrl+b then [0-9].

Rename current session with Ctrl+b then $. Rename current window with Ctrl+b then ,. You can also use 'tmux rename-session' and 'tmux rename-window' commands.

Enter copy mode with Ctrl+b then [. Navigate with arrow keys or Page Up/Down. Start selection with Space, copy with Enter. Paste with Ctrl+b then ].

Your tmux configuration should be in ~/.tmux.conf (in your home directory). tmux automatically loads this file when starting. You can also specify a custom config with 'tmux -f /path/to/config'.

Either restart tmux or reload the config within tmux using 'tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf' or add a keybinding like 'bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf' to reload with Ctrl+b then r.

Essential settings include: mouse support (set -g mouse on), better prefix key, increased history limit, vi or emacs key bindings, status bar customization, and pane/window numbering starting from 1.

Use Tmux Plugin Manager (TPM). Install TPM, add plugins to your .tmux.conf with 'set -g @plugin 'plugin-name'', then press Ctrl+b then I to install plugins.

Yes! Store your .tmux.conf in a git repository or cloud storage. Use version control to track changes and sync across machines. Consider using conditional settings for platform-specific configurations.

Use tmux commands in shell scripts or create tmuxinator/teamocil configurations. You can script session creation, window/pane layouts, and running commands with 'tmux new-session', 'split-window', and 'send-keys' commands.

Yes, using 'tmux -S /tmp/shared-session' to create a session with a socket file. Other users can attach with proper permissions. Be cautious with security implications in production environments.

Use tmux-resurrect or tmux-continuum plugins to save and restore sessions. They save session layouts, window arrangements, and even running programs (configurable).

Create separate sessions for each project. Use tmuxinator or custom scripts to define project layouts. Name sessions meaningfully and use session switcher (Ctrl+b then s) for quick navigation.

Use vim-tmux-navigator for seamless pane navigation, tmux-vim for better integration, and configure consistent key bindings. Consider using the same prefix key style in both tools.

This means tmux isn't installed or not in your PATH. Install it using your package manager: 'brew install tmux' (macOS), 'sudo apt install tmux' (Ubuntu/Debian), or 'sudo dnf install tmux' (Fedora). After installation, restart your terminal and verify with 'tmux -V'.

Add 'set -g default-terminal "screen-256color"' or 'set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"' to your ~/.tmux.conf file. You may also need to set 'set-option -sa terminal-overrides ",xterm*:Tc"' for true color support. Reload the config with 'tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf'.

tmux has its own copy mode. Press Ctrl+b then [ to enter copy mode, use arrow keys to navigate, Space to start selection, and Enter to copy. Paste with Ctrl+b then ]. For system clipboard integration, install 'xclip' (Linux) or use tmux plugins like tmux-yank.

Press Ctrl+b then [ to enter copy mode, then use Page Up/Page Down, arrow keys, or mouse wheel (if mouse mode is enabled with 'set -g mouse on'). Press q or Escape to exit copy mode.

If you haven't detached from the session (Ctrl+b d), closing the terminal will kill it. Always detach before closing. To preserve sessions across reboots, use tmux-resurrect or tmux-continuum plugins.

Yes! SSH into your remote server, then start or attach to a tmux session. If your SSH connection drops, the tmux session keeps running on the server. Reconnect via SSH and reattach with 'tmux attach'. This is one of tmux's most powerful features.

Make sure you're pressing the prefix key (default Ctrl+b) before the command key. If you changed the prefix in your .tmux.conf, use that new prefix. Reload your config with 'tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf' after making changes.

Add 'set-option -g history-limit 10000' to your ~/.tmux.conf (adjust the number as needed). The default is usually 2000 lines. Higher values use more memory but allow more scrollback.

Yes, through WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Install WSL2, then install tmux inside your Linux distribution with 'sudo apt install tmux'. Native Windows support is limited, but WSL provides full tmux functionality.

This warning appears when you try to run tmux inside an existing tmux session. This is rarely needed and can cause confusion with key bindings. If intentional, use 'TMUX=' before the tmux command to bypass the warning.

The easiest way is using Homebrew: 'brew install tmux'. You can also use MacPorts with 'sudo port install tmux'. After installation, verify with 'tmux -V'. macOS works great with tmux on both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) processors.

Use apt: 'sudo apt update && sudo apt install tmux'. This installs from the official repositories. For the latest version, you may need to compile from source or use a PPA.

Yes! Install with 'sudo apt install tmux' on Raspberry Pi OS (Debian-based). It's perfect for managing headless Pi projects and SSH sessions. tmux is lightweight and runs well even on older Pi models.

Yes, but it's usually unnecessary since containers are already isolated. If needed, install tmux in your Dockerfile and run it. However, for development, it's better to run tmux on your host machine and execute docker commands within tmux sessions.

No, tmux is very lightweight. It uses minimal CPU and RAM. Even with multiple sessions, windows, and panes, tmux typically uses less than 10MB of memory. It's designed to be efficient and won't noticeably impact system performance.

tmux can handle hundreds of sessions, windows, and panes limited only by your system resources. Most users comfortably run 5-10 sessions with multiple windows and panes each. The client-server architecture makes this very efficient.

tmux adds minimal latency (usually imperceptible). Modern tmux versions are highly optimized. If you experience slowness, it's usually due to other factors like slow commands, network latency (over SSH), or terminal emulator performance.

Yes! The combination is very popular. Use vim-tmux-navigator plugin for seamless pane navigation. Many developers run Vim in a tmux pane alongside other tools. You can also use tmuxinator to save Vim + tmux layouts.

Yes, but they serve different purposes. You can run VS Code's integrated terminal with tmux, or use tmux for remote development and connect VS Code via SSH. Many developers use both: tmux for server-side work and VS Code for local development.

Yes, tmux works with any shell. Set your preferred shell in .tmux.conf with 'set-option -g default-shell /usr/bin/zsh' (or path to your shell). tmux is shell-agnostic and integrates seamlessly with all Unix shells.

Just run Git commands normally in tmux panes. Many developers create dedicated tmux windows for Git workflows. You can even set up a pane with 'git log --oneline --graph --all' running continuously for visual Git tracking.